​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2018
Media Contact: cpitalo@hancockhrc.org, DFC Project Coordinator| (228) 463-8887
 
HYPE-Hancock Youth for Positive Efforts participates in Bay St. Louis Barrel Beautification Project.
 
HYPE- Hancock Youth for Positive Efforts participated in the "Bay St. Louis Barrel Beautification Project".  The City of Bay St. Louis sought out artists to create their statement by painting an “environmentally themed” barrel while helping reduce litter. Students from Hancock High School SADD Club, Our Lady Academy Art Classes, Saint Stanislaus High School Art Classes and First Baptist Church Bay Saint Louis Youth Group painted these barrels. The barrels were provided by the City of Bay St. Louis while the paint for HYPE barrels was donated by Waveland Walmart. On November 7, 2018, the barrels were displayed and recognized at Bay St. Louis City Hall. These decorative barrels will adorn the Bay St. Louis community sidewalks, parks and beachfront.
For more information contact Cathy Pitalo at (228) 463-8887 or email to cpitalo@hancockhrc.org.


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​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 6, 2018
Media Contact: Amy Marquar, Outreach Coordinator| (228) 463-8887 |amarquar@hancockhrc.org
HYPE – Hancock Youth for Positive Efforts in partnership with Hancock Resource Center and the Hancock County Library System host “Community Conversations on Opioid Abuse”
Opioid Abuse was the topic of the night at the Hancock County Library in Bay St. Louis, MS on Thursday August 30, 2018. The event, which was sponsored by HYPE – Hancock Youth for Positive Efforts, Hancock Resource Center and the Hancock County Library System began with a short clip from the documentary “Chasing the Dragon” followed by a panel of experts having an open and honest conversation with community members about the opioid epidemic in Hancock County.
Speakers included Rhonda Rhodes, President, Hancock Resource Center; Casey Favre, Director of Health Services, Hancock County Sheriff’s Office; Pam Cross, Regional Director, MDCPS (Hancock and Pearl River Counties); Michael Fay, Emergency Room Director, Ochsner Medical Center Hancock; Nancy Clark, CASA Advocate; Daryl Russell, Lieutenant, Hancock County Sheriff’s Dept. Narcotics Division; and Leo Hawkins, Hancock County resident.
 
The event was open to the public, with approximately 36 people in attendance. It was a successful evening and the hope is that those in attendance are able to go out and continue the conversation with peers, coworkers, children and fellow community members.
 
For more information or to make a donation to HYPE, contact Cathy Pitalo at (228)463-8887 or email toHYPE@hancockhrc.org.  You can also learn more about HYPE atwww.believethehypehancock.org
 

​FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
 May 23, 2018
 
Contact: Cathy Pitalo, Drug Free Community Program Coordinator.  (228) 463-8887  HYPE@hancockhrc.org
 
HYPE Hosts “Believe the HYPE” Leadership Day
HYPE (Hancock Youth for Positive Efforts) to help prepare youth in navigating junior high school. HYPE Leadership Day will focus on communication, leadership skills and positive behaviors for students entering junior high (rising 6th graders at Bay-Waveland and Hancock schools and rising 7th graders at Our Lady Academy and St. Stanislaus). On Thursday, July 12, 2018 from 8:30 to 4:00, HYPE will host a “Believe the HYPE” Leadership Day at the St. Clare Community Center, 236 S. Beach Blvd., Waveland, MS, to provide youth with the necessary life skills to promote positive interactions with peers and teachers.
Register online at www.believethehypehancock.org or www.hancockhrc.org  or in person at Hancock Resource Center (454 Hwy 90, Suite B, Waveland, MS).  Parents may get more information on the web or on Facebook at “HYPE-Hancock Youth for Positive Efforts”.
Last year, more than forty students attended the HYPE Leadership Day.  Students that wish to register please contact Cathy Pitalo at (228) 463-8887 or HYPE@hancockhrc.org. Space is limited. There is a $10 registration fee and scholarships are available.                                                                             ​

​     A new study shows that college students who consume a lot of energy drinks are more likely to become addicted to certain drugs or alcohol later. Is it the energy drink? Or is it the person? Or is it both? ​Click here to read the entire article by FOX Health News. ​

      The warning signs were flashing emergency and the alarms were blaring at a sonic boom the week prior to my latest relapse, but I was oblivious to them. I had been doing so well with my sobriety and thought I had mastered the art of seeing red flags that I was headed toward possible relapse. I was beginning to consider myself a master at deterring relapse and being in tune with the signs. When the unexpected opportunity to use was gift wrapped and presented to me, I snatched it up and ripped that pretty bow off with the eagerness of a child on Christmas morning. I have never pulled one over my own self, until now. Click here to read the entire article on the Huffington Post. ​​