College and foundation offer scholarships to those in addiction recovery

NEWTON — Sussex County Community College and The Ammon Foundation, whose mission it is to empower individuals in addiction recovery through combating stigma and providing strategic support to enable personal success, are partnering on a program that will help those in recovery from addiction.
"There is clearly an addiction problem in the state, and Sussex County is not immune to it," said SCCC President Jon Connolly. "This partnership with the Ammon Foundation is one way we can tackle this issue head on. We not only want to impact those residents who need the help to pursue their higher education goals, but residents in general."
"We consider Sussex County Community College a Leadership Partner through our Core Value Partnership Initiative," said Mariel Hufnagel, Executive Director of the Ammon Foundation. "Sussex County Community College is our first partnership with a 2-year college and as we move forward we'll be looking at other innovative ways in which we can work together."
The pilot program is expected to fully launch in the Fall with a variety of aspects, including not only scholarships for college students, but also education and awareness events at the college and in the community at-large. SCCC is initially partnering with Ammon to increase access to education through scholarship support for the Fall 2018 semester. Applicants must be in addiction recovery for a minimum of six months. Ammon and SCCC are partnering with matching dollars, and as such are able to offer both incoming and existing students $2,000/semester.
It was during an annual conference sponsored by the Center for Prevention & Counseling last year that the partnership between SCCC and the Ammon Foundation was sparked. Hufnagel was a keynote speaker at the conference.
"She gave an impressive presentation regarding the four pillars of recovery," said Dominic J. Carbone, PhD, Dean of Program Advancement and New/Strategic Initiatives at SCCC. "She stressed the importance of education as a key component to successful recovery and touched on community college as the entry-point for many individuals in recovery. I spoke with Mrs. Hufnagel afterwards about ways the Ammon and SCCC might partner to provide our students who are in recovery with a variety of resources and support to ensure their success during their college experience. Through our partnership with Ammon as well as our longstanding partnership with The Center, students will be able to access treatment and recovery support services both on campus, and at their location across the street from the college."
The Ammon Foundation, based in Linden, is the philanthropic arm of Ammon Labs. The Foundation prides itself on providing a beacon of hope for those that have suffered from addiction, helping them to access and sustain long-term recovery through two core programs: Ammon Recovery Scholars and Empowerment Workshop Series. Their programs help as a springboard for underserved and at-risk individuals to change their lives. According to Hufnagel, who will also be the commencement speaker at this year's SCCC graduation, the Ammon Foundation seeks to "empower individuals to be able to build meaningful lives in recovery."
To learn more please visit: www.sussex.edu or <URL destination="http://www.ammonfoundation.org ">www.ammonfoundation.org