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GROUP COUNSELING is one of the methods employedby Reach Out West End to help people with a wide range of problems. ROWE helps people with family problems,ilPPjKdrug abuse problems, pregnancy, venereal disease and legal advise. Many others are just lonely and need friends.Reach Out program expandsDrugs still top problemReach Out West End has branched out in the last fouryears, but its most commonconcern is still drug abuse “The majority we serve are young kids, not the hard core users, explained Reach Out counselor Frank Romo, a student at California State University, San Bernardino Commenting that there are as many reasons for drug abuse as there are people. Reach Out Executive Director A! Hutton noted that about “90 per cent of the people who come to us suffer from some form of low self esteem. “Many put on a good front, said Hutton, “but most of those who nave a tough front are insecure and frightened people. As soon as they admit tothemselves that they are frightened. they can start making progress The drug addict who hs been at it for some time can put on an image of being self confident, explained Hutton. The addict must be able to hustlepeople out of money and other things needed to support the habit.Most are frightened about whether they can make it in society. Some are slow learners, others are from broken homes, he said.It's not the college or professional types who smoke marijuana or pop pills at parties or on weekends that ReachOut sees.“We only see them after they become like the sKid row bum Not all of them are that far down when we see them Some recognize that they have a problem early, explained HuttonIt's not just drug use that worries Hutton.A problem on an upward trend is kids who misuse alcohol, “Parents give a sigh of relief when they find that their kid is drunk on alcohol instead of drugs To me. alcohol is just as big a problem as drugs Among college-age youth, Romo feels There is a general acceptance of marijuana andthe majority have at least tried it. I don't see it as any more of a problem than alcohol There appears to be a slight increase in the number of students who are shooting heroin and a slight increase in drug addiction.“Pot is just another drug on the market like beer or whiskev. I don t see the abuse of marijuana is any greaterthan the abuse cf beer or pop wines.Basically, we have two— ^ —kinds of cultures in the country. We have the (punter culture with its street drugs and theprofessionals, whose membersdominate society They havetheir own drugs, pep pills, reducing pills and tranquilizers, but the most deadly of all is liquorThe kids arc beginning to take drugs more and more because of family problems and because they want to be accepted.High school is a social function Manv arc more concernedmwith how others see them thananything else Drugs are one way of getting involved with the heavies of the school For thosewho can t keep up, one way ofgetting into the in-crowd is to smoke pot It demands nothing of the student but smoking pot and getting high Others will be around them and smoke their pot and be with them, saidRomo.The majority we serve are soft core users. Thev are in-Vvolved with drugs on an exploratory missionDaily Report photosby lay Phillipsand Ralph Viggers***■ReachOut doesnlack for businessamong areaBy JIMMIE R. WHITECarefree youth may still exist, but you couldn't prove it by the kids who use Reach Out West End.The Ontario-based program is described bv it executive director, A1 Hutton, as a recovery and prevention program for drug abuse, family problems, crime andsocial conflict.In the main, the means young people, most of them between 13 and 18-vear-old.Vwho are into drugs and can t get out, into trouble and on the run or just lonesome and in need of friends.The program is contacted daily by people seeking counseling, free legal advice and information about pregnancy or ven-eral disease, explained Hutton.What began four years ago as a drug abuse program for young people now handles all problems and all ages.The program's biggest concern is still drug abuse, according to Hutton, director since 1971. Drugs and their related problems are estimated to be the contributing factor in 60 per cent of the 1200 contacts Reach Out gets per month.Next in line are family problems, with loneliness checking in third.The 1200 contacts break down, explained Hutton, to between 300 and 400 persons using the program's services three to four times each month.Those who turn up at Reach Out's home base at 404 W. D St., arc either shoved in the door by the courts, nudged by parents or walk in on their own.Those who won t or can t come m person contact Reach Out bv telephone on the No Heat line - 983-3628.Most of the crisis calls come over the hot line, said Hutton. This is where the suicide and overdose problems come in.'The line provides 24-hour service and is used by some 300 callers per monthTrained volunteers staff the line, which provides a service. Callers remain anonymous and receive help for problems running the gamut of human experience No Heat is not just for drug related problems, emphasized HuttonThe Reach Out director estimated that the program helps about 80 per cent of its court referralsWe let them now quickly that they can work on their problems or just put in the required time, said Hutton. After three or four visits, I would say 75 to 80 per cent take an interest. Many who come to us as clients eventually become volunteers Reach Out was founded in 1969 when a judge decided the court system could not solve the drug abuse problemWest District Superior Court Judge Richard C. Garner gathered a group of concerned citizens, put together a tentative program and sent Reach Out on itsway.The donation of a rent-free residence on Holt Boulevard provided a first home for the program which operated two nights a week with a volunteer staffInitial funding for the program was $1200 stretched over six months. The next year, the county backed the program with a $52,000 grant w hich was later slashed by half because of changes in state policyHowever, by that time Reach Out had acquired its first director. Paul Smythe, a counselor from the California Rehabilitation Center at Norco, plus a paid staff including three ex-addicts.Reach out now gets its funding from The countv and the cities of Ontario, Montclair and Upland. The money covers the rent, staff salaries, utilities and office expenses.Hutton explained that the rest of the Reach Out program is dependent on donations to pav for food, household supplies and bedding to accomodate the live-instaff, clients and visitors.Included in the Reach Out program arc a drama class, self-improvement workshop, sports activities, trips and homework teams. ft s|i|A woman's auxiliary helps with household needs by sponsoring bazaars, baked good sales and candy sales.PROGRAMMERS Mike Shumake, standing, and LeeApelgren work on one of the many programs now offered by Reach Out West End Activities ranging from guitar lessons to self-improvement workshops are available tothe community.■XiK■»-Vr- ■Kmv.■m•X-.-' *»c.....w- milt*M lt;****’'.sPmrfvm■y:K*lrA‘VSm•*:{;■lt; V\ V •li ft - masmkm•i 'jpMmm.$/■y.'.vy.m :SHBROBERT HUDSON HELPS keep Reach Out West End in operation by volunteering for yard work Many of the people who come to Reach Out for help eventually be-onrl V»r»1nI4•yDENISE HENDRICKS, and Joe Costa prepare food in kitchen of Reach Out West End headquarters at 404 West D St., On-r Pnqpli i r HnnnnHenf tmnndonations from concerned people in the area for food, household supplies, bedding. furniture and coffee to provide the1ivo-in Qtaff pljonfc onrl rjeitnreREACH OUT counselors Paula Strid, foreground, and Sherry Velto are shown talking to people with problems on No-service for crisis situations. Callers may remain anonymous and receive help for a wide range of problems, not just drug re-nrohlo^C 4 ' —f
Newspaper Details
Ontario Daily Report
Ontario, California, US
Sun, Nov 18, 1973
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Linda L.
USA 15 Mar 2019
Other Publications Near Ontario, California
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Ontario Daily Report
