For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

P.A.A.R.I. To Partner With AmeriCorps To Build Capacity of Law Enforcement Partners

New Program Will Place Recovery Coaches Directly Into Police Departments

GLOUCESTER — John Rosenthal, co-founder and chairman, and Allie Hunter McDade, executive director of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I.), are pleased to announce that P.A.A.R.I. will receive a three-year grant from the Massachusetts Service Alliance that will place 25 AmeriCorps members into service at law enforcement agencies throughout the commonwealth, assisting in police-led addiction recovery programs.

Through AmeriCorps, P.A.A.R.I. will place 20 part-time recovery coaches and five full-time program coordinators with police departments in Massachusetts, enabling those agencies to dramatically enhance their capacity to reach individuals in need and better support them as they work to access treatment and recovery programs and services. The program is set to launch in October 2017.

P.A.A.R.I. will receive a federal grant of $207,000 per year for three years to carry out this project. As per the grant guidelines, P.A.A.R.I. is also responsible for generating matching funds to cover project costs and welcomes the contributions of individuals and organizations that wish to support its efforts to help those working to overcome addiction.

AmeriCorps members will be responsible for building the capacity of police-based programs to expand and enhance services to address the growing opioid epidemic in their communities, working directly with community members to help individuals who are seeking help access treatment and recovery services, prevent opioid overdose deaths, reduce crime and strengthen law enforcement and community relations.

“P.A.A.R.I’s mission is to provide resources to help law enforcement agencies combat the opioid epidemic and this innovative new program will add significant capacity to the law enforcement agencies we work with in Massachusetts,”  Hunter McDade said. “As an AmeriCorps alum myself, I am thrilled to partner with the Massachusetts Service Alliance and leverage the power of service through this exciting new program.”

“We are excited to partner with P.A.A.R.I. to address the growing opioid epidemic throughout the Commonwealth,” Massachusetts Service Alliance CEO Emily Haber said. “This new AmeriCorps initiative is a prime example of utilizing service as a solution to address critical needs in our communities. These dedicated AmeriCorps members will serve tirelessly alongside law enforcement to help bridge gaps between addiction and recovery services.”

P.A.A.R.I. is also announcing the search for a full-time program director to oversee the program; the job description is available here. Those interested in applying to serve as a part or full-time AmeriCorps member should click here for more information. P.A.A.R.I. is also seeking police departments and law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts that would like to host one or more AmeriCorps members to support their department (or group of departments). Learn more by clicking here.

In addition to its efforts in Massachusetts, P.A.A.R.I. is developing a grant proposal for the Corporation for National and Community Service to place AmeriCorps members in law enforcement agencies on a national scale.

For those interested in financially supporting this exciting new project in Massachusetts, a donation of $10,000 fully covers the cost of one full-time AmeriCorps member for one year and a donation of $5,000 fully covers the cost of one part-time AmeriCorps member for one year. If you would like to make a financial gift, please donate here and write “AmeriCorps” in the comment section. You can also mail a check to 186 Main Street, Gloucester, MA 01930 and write “AmeriCorps” in the memo line.

About AmeriCorps:

AmeriCorps is a civil society program that engages adults in public service work with a goal of helping others and meeting critical needs in the community. Members commit to full-time or part-time positions offered by a network of nonprofit community organizations and public agencies to fulfill assignments in the fields of education, public safety, healthcare, and environmental protection. There are more than 75,000 Americans in service each year.

About the Massachusetts Service Alliance:

The Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA), established in 1991, is a private, nonprofit organization that serves as the state commission on service and volunteerism. MSA promotes and supports service and volunteerism by investing public and private resources in community-based organizations that rely upon volunteers and people engaged in service to meet their community’s needs. MSA administers the AmeriCorps State program for Massachusetts and the Commonwealth Corps program, as well as support for community service learning, and volunteer generation initiatives. MSA provides training and technical assistance to organizations to support their volunteer and service member management through one-on-one technical assistance, trainings and workshops throughout the year, and a bi-annual statewide conference on service and volunteerism.

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