Boys & Girls Club gets drug prevention funds
Boys & Girls Club

by EDWARD MARSHALL / Journal Staff Writer

MARTINSBURG - The Boys & Girls Club of the Eastern Panhandle is $30,000 richer, following a visit Tuesday by West Virginia Attorney General Darrell V. McGraw, Jr. who presented the money to the organization to help fund its afterschool drug prevention programs.

"It is an honor for my office to see the fruits of our labor go back to the citizens we serve by putting this funding into programs such as the Boys & Girls Club and therefore the community. We all have a contribution to make to civilization, and I know that we all are committed to that in our efforts," McGraw said.

The club's executive director, Stefani Pierson, said that the organization was very fortunate to receive the money.

"We are very dependent on local donations, on local businesses, on local grants...We are very grateful that he chose to invest this money in the Boys & Girls Club. You know, he could have chosen numerous after school programs or youth programs to give this money to. He sees the Boys & Girls club as a valuable resource," Pierson said.

The money is part a $10 million settlement that Purdue Pharma, Inc., makers of the prescription drug Oxycontin, agreed to pay to the state after the prescription drug manufacturer was sued over allegations that it improperly marketed the drug and failed to disclose its addictive qualities to doctors and patients.

The case was later settled and the company agreed to pay installments of $2.5 million over the course of four years. It did not admit guilt in the settlement.

McGraw said the state's case alleged the manufacturer had been involved in advertising and merchandising for this drug in violation of West Virginia law.

As part of the settlement agreement, McDowell County Circuit Court Judge Booker Stephens indicated that the money should be used for drug control and education efforts.

"And so we were able to bring that money here to benefit these kids at the Boys & Girls Club, which I recommend highly as a very effective organization for the education of our children against the abuse of drugs and drug related activity," McGraw said.

Pierson said the children of the Boys & Girls Club were delighted by McGraw's visit.

"They're shocked. It's probably the biggest check they've ever seen given to the Boys & Girls Club at one time," said Pierson, who noted the appearance of McGraw and West Virginia Delegate Walter Duke, R-Berkeley, and called part of the club's mission to give children the chance to be exposed to positive influences.

"The smiling faces said it all," she said.

McGraw said the club's programs are important over the long haul because drug addiction is one of the primary reasons for certain kinds of crime including petty theft, burglary and even armed robbery. McGraw said Oxycontin has been a big problem all over the country, including West Virginia.

In all $90,000 in funding will be presented to Boys & Girls Clubs across the state to fund its SMART moves program. Much of the money from the settlement to date has been distributed to day reporting centers, according to McGraw.

McGraw also made an appearance in Mineral County to award $25,000 to the County Commission for the operation of its day reporting center.

Day reporting centers are used as alternative sentencing programs for low-risk substance abusers and offenders.

"It's worth noting that it's a program fostered by the Supreme Court, enacted by the legislature and used by local judges as an alternative to the sentencing of low-risk offenders," McGraw said.

The programs also save taxpayers money. Currently it costs about $50-$75 a day to house a single inmate, significantly more than the $5 per day cost for a person to visit a day reporting center.

McGraw said he believed there was also a value in rehabilitation as opposed to incarcerating offenders.

"These are people who are then able to maintain themselves, their jobs, support their families or perhaps even go to school," McGraw said. "These projects are expected to give offenders ... the opportunity to repair themselves and rebuild their lives. That preserves families, reduces recidivism and spares taxpayers and cash-strapped counties the expense of housing offenders who would be better rehabilitated in their communities and among families."

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