CANDLE Celebrates 35 Years of Helping Rockland Kids ‘Make Positive Choices’

NYACK-PIERMONT, NY - From Candle Rockland: More than 50 friends and supporters gathered on July 26th for a celebration of CANDLE’s 35th Anniversary celebration which included a reveal of the organization’s new logo and branding. CANDLE was founded as Community Awareness Network for a Drug-Free Life and Environment, Inc. in 1982 and has been quietly helping kids deal with important topics such as bullying, peer pressure, conflict resolution, drug and alcohol abuse, and LGBTQ issues. What started out at a gathering of several parents around a kitchen table in Clarkstown, is now a staple in every school district in Rockland County.

To celebrate the milestone anniversary and the important work they do, the CANDLE Board felt it was time for a revamping of the organization’s branding which also presented an opportunity to host a party to celebrate the group’s accomplishments and increase awareness of their important mission. Not only was the logo redesigned, a new tagline was announced that reflects the overall guiding principle, “Inspiring Brighter Tomorrows Through Positive Choices Today.”

On hand for the celebration were all staff members, heads of other Rockland-based non-profit organizations and elected officials including Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann, Clarkstown Councilman Frank Borelli, Rockland Legislators Aney Paul, Laurie Santulli and Harriett Cornell, Rockland County Executive Ed Day, and New York State Assembly members Ken Zebrowski and Ellen Jaffee who read a Proclamation and made a toast to the organization and Executive Director Joanne Goodman.

After hearing the tributes and the proclamations, the attendees were eager to see the new logos, one for the organization and another for the Youth Pride Initiative which works with LGBTQ youth. Chairman of the Board Jeffrey Heaphy and Program Director Annie Scott had the honor of revealing the new logos to those in attendance.

“It was a wonderful celebration of our work,” stated Joanne Goodman. “We wanted to thank our dedicated supporters and have them be the first to see our new logo which was developed to reflect our positive messaging and pay homage to the original name CANDLE which is reflected in the flames incorporated into the sun rays. The colors of the rainbow were used to recognize the support we provide for LGBTQ youth which has become a significant part of our work.” The Youth Pride Initiative also received an updated version of their logo which includes a colorful lion’s mane originally developed by a student in the program. The big reveal was streamed live on Facebook and can be viewed on CANDLE’s Facebook page.

“We are so very proud of the work we do and the hundreds of thousands of children we have helped over the past three and half decades,” stated Annie Scott, Program Director. “We are looking forward to reaching even more children and making a positive impact on their lives over the next 35 years.”

CANDLE’s prevention education programs come in a variety of formats, all focus on helping children as young as five years old to recognize and identify feelings, to resist pressures, to talk and learn about stress, relationships, family, friends and many other topics. Through games, discussions, videos, music and other activities, these groups provide a safe, comfortable atmosphere for youth to vent their frustrations, share their achievements and work things out with each other. Programs include Too Good for Drugs & Violence, Peacemakers for second graders, Cool Cats for fourth grade students, Kids/Kinder/Teen Connection to help with stress, relationships and more. Youth Pride Initiative strives to improve the lives of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning youth by providing support, pro-social activities and education on diversity. CANDLE also hosts a Common Threads Youth Empowerment Retreat which will celebrate its 20th year in 2018.

CANDLE offers county-wide prevention strategies including Only 2 Will Do, which helps prevent underage alcohol purchases in partnership with alcohol vendors in Rockland County, the Pizza Box Campaign which promotes communication between parents and kids about prom, graduation and homecoming activities, Poisoning/Drug Overdose cards designed to encourage parents to communicate with the children about substance use and introduce the signs and symptoms of overdose. They also created VAASA, Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse, a program available in most high schools in Rockland, which trains athletes to be drug-free role models for younger students.

In addition, CANDLE provides staff development and training in schools and to youth-serving organizations to offer strategies and resources to help clinicians, teachers and school administrators enhance their skills in substance abuse prevention, LGBTQ competency, digital citizenship and other topics relating to the social-emotional well-being of youth. For more information about any of CANDLE’s programs, visit www.candlerockland.org or call 845-634-6677.

Image via CANDLE