The Community Assistance And Resources for the Elderly Shut-Ins program (CARES) provides meals for the homebound elderly and transportation to senior center and medical appointments. Daytop clients who participate in the program gain a responsible attitude and an awareness of the needs of others in their community. For more information call Al Mazaltov in Brooklyn 718-625-1388.

The DPEP program (Daytop Parents Educating Parents) educates parents to recognize the warning signs of substance abuse in children. DPEP speakers stress the importance of early detection of behavioral changes which could signal drug experimentation and use. Awareness and early detection is the greatest prevention! The information given at a DPEP presentation prepares parents to intervene in the early stages of substance use. Pretending it can't happen to you may allow your child's situation to go too far.

DPEP speakers are members of your own community who have already experienced the horrors of substance abuse. They share these experiences on a personal and real level. They are your neighbors. DPEP presentations can be scheduled for groups at your schools, churches, synagogues and community organizations. There is no cost for this service. The program is available in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Rockland, Staten Island, Suffolk, and Westchester. To schedule a presentation contact the Outreach center near you.

Daytop provides speakers and presentations for community organizations, schools, health fairs and the like. The focus of these programs is on reaching adolescents before they become involved in drugs. As the DPEP program allows parents to identify with other parents, peer education involves adolescents speaking directly to other adolescents. They can relate to each other about school and family issues of today, and impress upon a young audience the reality of drug experimentation and addiction. For more information regarding Peer Education and Prevention Speakers in your locale contact in New York PublicAffairs@daytop.org or call 212 - 354-6000, extension 208, in New Jersey call our Mendham facility at 973 - 543-5656, and in California, call our Redwood City location at 415 - 367-9030.

The Concept is a play performed by Daytop residents dramatizing what it's like to be caught up in drug use. Performances are most often given to school audiences, at no cost. The play itself runs 45 minutes, and time is left for questions and answers afterward. The cast is available for performances February through June. For more information and scheduling, contact PublicAffairs@daytop.org or call Adolph Fulton at Daytop Headquarters, 212-354-6000, extension 256.