October 5th, 2010 by pubrel No comments » The Education Dept. in Secaucus is excited to announce that a student-member from TC2 in Newark will be coming to speak to the men of D House about the college process. This young man is currently enrolled in college after completing his GED in TC1. He will talk about the process of getting financial aid through the FASFA form and other federal assistance programs, the application process and how to stay excited and motivated about the future.
What better way to motivate our student-members than hearing about the success of a fellow peer who has taken full advantage of the opportunties available after getting his GED!
September 23rd, 2010 by pubrel No comments » 
What is Recovery Month?
Recovery Month is an annual observance that takes place during the month of September.
The Recovery Month observance highlights the societal benefits of substance abuse treatment, lauds the contributions of treatment providers and promotes the message that recovery from substance abuse in all its forms is possible. The observance also encourages citizens to take action to help expand and improve the availability of effective substance abuse treatment for those in need. Each year a new theme, or emphasis, is selected for the observance.
Recovery Month provides a platform to celebrate people in recovery and those who serve them. Each September, thousands of treatment programs around the country celebrate their successes and share them with their neighbors, friends, and colleagues in an effort to educate the public about treatment, how it works, for whom, and why. Substance abuse treatment providers have made significant accomplishments, having transformed the lives of untold thousands of Americans. These successes often go unnoticed by the broader population; therefore, Recovery Month provides a vehicle to celebrate these successes.
Recovery Month also serves to educate the public on substance abuse as a national health crisis, that addiction is a treatable disease, and that recovery is possible. Recovery Month highlights the benefits of treatment for not only the affected individual, but for their family, friends, workplace, and society as a whole. Educating the public reduces the stigma associated with addiction and treatment. Accurate knowledge of the disease helps people to understand the importance of supporting treatment programs, those who work within the treatment field, and those in need of treatment.
From www.recoverymonth.gov
September 20th, 2010 by pubrel No comments » Three student-members from Secaucus and two from Newark received their GEDs this past week!
September 13th, 2010 by pubrel No comments » Congrats to Clarissa D’Ambra for being excepted into the very prestigious and competitive Ladder to Leadership program. This program is run through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Clarissa will spend the next year learning how to be an effective leader within the agency.
September 13th, 2010 by pubrel No comments » 
A graduate student from Montclair State University recently conducted a study to find how completing long-term treatment effected the lives of an individual with substance abuse issues. He compared those who did not complete the program (comparison group) with graduates of Integrity House (demonstration group). To request the entire report, please use the contact box located in the Contact page. These are a few of the results:
- Admission percentages are at similar levels for all employment categories, except for:
(1) Full-Time Work or Military – the demonstration group is at approx. 8%, whereas, the comparison group is at approx. 1%,
(2) Unemployed: Not Looking for Work – the demonstration group is at approx. 9%, whereas, the comparison group is at approx. 25%. - Discharge percentages are at substantially different levels for the following four categories:
(1) Case Pending – the demonstration group is at 0%, whereas, the comparison group is at approx. 5%,
(2) Drug Court – the demonstration group is at approx. 32%, whereas, the comparison group is at approx. 25%,
(3) Probation – the demonstration group is at approx. 19%, whereas, the comparison group is at approx. 37%
(4) DYFS or Family Court – the demonstration group is at approx. 2%, whereas, the comparison group is at approx. 8%. - While substance abuse abstinence rates were positive for both groups, the demonstration group reported a 96% abstinent rate versus an 86% rate for the comparison group
September 2nd, 2010 by pubrel No comments » Congrats to Sonia Illescas for attaining her LSW and Juan Lorenzo for his CDAC!!
September 2nd, 2010 by pubrel No comments » 
Thomas King announced through the following email in late August that Mary Taylor, Director of TC2 Newark has decided to retire after 27 years of service to Integrity House.
“Many of you know Ms. Taylor and the amazing work she has done with our Student Members, helping to save lives & give hope. Some of you even came through these doors yourself under her guidance. Those of you who may not know her personally, I’m sure have at least heard of her. So everyone who is reading this email, lets all take the time out to remember the good times, experiences, and the many interesting stories I’m sure you can share!
When she leaves, the Agency will be missing a good friend, positive role model, & a hard worker. I’ll be losing all of the above, as she was my immediate supervisor, and played an instrumental role in molding and shaping me…. Working under her has certainly been a pleasure, and an experience I won’t forget. But, we should all be happy she is moving on to a new chapter is her amazing life! Integrity Works! And Mary Taylor is certainly an example of that, and much more.”
Staff will celebrate Ms. Taylor today at a luncheon at Iberia in the Ironbound.
August 27th, 2010 by pubrel No comments » 
Friends of Integrity, Andrea Biggs Farina and Mary Elizabeth O’Connor, worked with the Women of Integrity in Secaucus on August 26 to add new books and put the library in order. Chuck and Pam Farina also donated a full set of encyclopedia in excellent condition to add to the collection. Staff members from DYFS were on site to accept new and gently used children’s books for use on family visits.
Andrea, Mary Elizabeth and their hard-working resident-helpers worked many hours to recycle torn, tattered, and inappropriate books received earlier as “donations.” Integrity can always use new and recent books that support education, recovery and leisure reading, but not personal collections or used paperbacks. A lending-library system is being set up by student-members to assure availability of quality materials for a range of reading interests.
August 26th, 2010 by pubrel No comments » 
Staff and student-members in Newark hosted a celebration in honor of the 42nd Anniversary of Integrity House on Monday, August 23rd in the Rose Garden. Pictures of the event will be posted on www.integrityhouse.org shortly!
August 26th, 2010 by pubrel No comments » 
Many important visitors have come to Integrity House during the summer months in Newark. In June, Congressman Donald Payne came to discuss the effects of the healthcare reform on the substance abuse population. In August, Attorney General Paula Dow came to speak with Dave Kerr, Ed Lyons and Bob Budsock about possible cost-effective changes to the Drug Court system to include Therapeutic Community treatment. Also, in August, Justice Barry Albin toured the Newark campus and even had lunch in the Rose Garden with student-members from A&B House. Another new familiar face is that of Jim McGreevey who can be seen around the Newark campus in groups and working with Dave Kerr on new and exciting projects at the agency.
We’ve also celebrated many successful events this summer. In June, over 100 golfers participated in the Annual Golf Outing at the Essex County Country Club in West Orange. The July 4th Fireworks and Craft Show on the Yankee Ferry raised money for the 2010 Gala which benefits the Integrity Initiative for Women and Children. The Gala Commitee members put together a wonderful event! In August, the Recovery Festival brought together over 1,000 Newark residents, community organizations and student-members from both Newark and Secaucus. The music was great and all of the organizations brought information about their programs.
Each outing has been a great time for all of the Integrity House family. In June, Weequahic Park, was a great way to start the summer. In July, student-members and staff from Newark and Secaucus braved shark sitings and a few sunburns at Island State Beach. Finally in August, student-members and staff from Secaucus has a great time at Swartzwood Lake.
Besides visitors and events, many exciting things happen everyday at Integrity House. The Integrity Pride Softball Team has played games in Newark almost every week during the summer. The team brings together student-members from each program and campus to play against other organizations in Essex County. The summer has also brought many accomplishments for our staff from Associate Degrees, Bachelor Degrees, Food Service Certificates and Masters Degrees. Also, student-members from Secaucus visited the Liberty Science Center with Ms. Nancy from the Education Dept. They learned about skyscrapers, saw an IMAX movie and even got to experience a real hurricane.
It’s definitely been a busy summer at Integrity House! We are looking forward to another park outing in September, the 2010 Past, Present and Future Gala, more exciting visitors and the 2010 Corporate Run in the fall.
