For Immediate Release

Date: January 24, 2008

Contact: Valerie Colvin - (301) 997-1300

Chrysler Foundation donates $5,000 to the Compass Halfway House

St. Mary�s County, Maryland - Walden/Sierra received a $5,000 grant from the Chrysler Foundation in support of the Compass Halfway House in California, Maryland. Compass serves women with young children and pregnant women recovering from substance abuse and in need of long-term care. The goal of the program is to provide the necessary counseling and other support services, including educational and vocational assistance, to help participants recover and prepare to live independently and drug-free with their children.

Additionally, Compass allows the children to remain with their mothers, as opposed to entering the foster care system. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, programs such as Compass that allow the children to stay with their mothers are successful because the mothers stay in treatment longer, have higher recovery success rates and are able to maintain or regain custody at higher rates.

�Providing a healthy, positive environment for the children is a priority at Compass,� said Kathleen O�Brien, Ph.D., Executive Director of Walden. �Support from the Chrysler Foundation will help us ensure not only that the mothers receive much-needed counseling and treatment, but that the children are safe and well-prepared for school.�

The Chrysler Foundation supports charitable organizations with an emphasis on community growth and enrichment, arts and culture, education and youth development programs.

Walden/Sierra is a nonprofit behavioral health agency that has been serving the Southern Maryland community through crisis intervention, trauma counseling and a continuum of substance abuse treatment since 1973. Their mission is to provide help and hope to courageous individuals healing from trauma and addiction. The 24-hour crisis hotline (301-863-6661) is sponsored by the St. Mary�s County Government.

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