Canaan, CT – Mountainside treatment center is proud to award $13,000 in Brighter Future Scholarships to 15 high school and college students from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida whose lives have been impacted by substance abuse.
In 2021, Mountainside created the scholarship program to foster awareness of addiction among youth and help affected individuals further their education and pursue their dreams and life goals. Due to an abundance of scholarship applications, Mountainside adjusted the original scholarship amount of $10,000 to better support a greater number of individuals in need.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that around 25 percent of children in the U.S. are raised in a household where addiction is present. When substance use is present in the home, children are more likely to have poor performance in school, low self-esteem, and an early onset of drug experimentation, according to the study.
“All across the country, we are witnessing the harmful effects of the opioid epidemic. To prevent more people from having to struggle with addiction, it is imperative that we educate our youth and empower them to make the right decisions,” says Andre Basso, Chief Executive Officer of Mountainside. “This scholarship shows young adults that their voice is powerful and crucial for change and that there is hope for a brighter and better future ahead.”
Mountainside hopes the Brighter Future Scholarship can provide financial support to even more teens and young adults who have been impacted by addiction as well as spark conversations across communities. For more information about the scholarship and to read this year’s winning essays, please visit: https://mountainside.com/scholarships/brighter-future/