Sacred Heart School Houses Prevention Projects

    When Sacred Heart School in Youngstown closed at the end of the 2006-07 school year, it did not stand empty long.  It recently became the new home for the Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects, which began serving local schools and communities in 1978.   With few modifications, the original classrooms now house offices of the program's 31 staff members, as well as providing storage of materials used in the Prevention Projects. 

    The Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects currently provides a full range of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug (ATOD) prevention services in southwestern Pennsylvania, including classroom education and early intervention.  Some 20,000 school children in the area know its penguin mascot, B. Cool.  The Prevention Projects also provides community services and consultation, training, and professional development.  It can provide general presentations on at-risk or prevention-oriented topics.  "We can do presentations to parents' organizations, clubs, supervisors, and employee assistance programs," stated Donna Kean, the Executive Director of the Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects. 

     The relocation to the school will provide greater visibility for the Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects in the local community. The name of the building will remain Sacred Heart School. Sacred Heart's pastor, Reverend Aaron Buzzelli, is thrilled to have an organization like Saint Vincent College Prevention Projects because of the great public service it offers.