Free Addiction and Recovery Conference hosted by Pillar College

By Candace Waller

Pillar College will host its Annual Addiction and Recovery Conference at 5 p.m., April 6^th, at The Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, in conjunction with the Pillar College Chapter of Psi Chi and Anchor of Hope at Pillar. This event is entitled “The Key to Recovery: God or Man.” It is free and open to the public, with a virtual online option available to individuals unable to attend in person.

Presenters at the conference include Maxine Bradshaw, Associate Dean & Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Pillar, and Gerald Cleaves, Director of the Pillar College Anchor of Hope. Dr. Bradshaw said the conference will highlight the school’s mission “to save one person, one family, and one community from a life of addiction.” The life-saving impact of Pillar College’s community conferences was featured in the recent HBO documentary “Life of Crime: 1984-2020.”

This program also includes individual success stories related by current Pillar graduate students, as well as by Judge Mary Beth O’Connor, author of the book “From Junkie to Judge.” Special guests at this year’s conference include: Recovery Centers of America; Sensitivity Empowerment Workshops, Inc.; Market Street Mission; Jersey Shore Rescue Mission; Good Shepard Mission; Partnership for Drug-Free America; Ruby’s Vision; Damon House; and Northern University NJ MAT Center of Excellence at Rutgers University.

“This conference seeks to address the perfect storm of mental health, homelessness, incarceration and addiction that has stalled over NJ and the nation in the 21st Century and has intensified under Covid,” Dr. Bradshaw said. “This event will give voice to those impacted by addiction and provide information from experts who will share insights about paths to opioid addiction recovery,” she said.

For more information about this event, please contact Dr. Bradshaw at mbradshaw@pillar.edu  Persons who wish to attend should RSVP at Pillar.edu/events

About Pillar College       
Pillar College is a comprehensive institution of higher learning, providing a Christ-centered education. Pillar College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) and licensed by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and a member of the Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE). Pillar College offers Associate’s, Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree programs. Pillar College educates, inspires and equips students for excellent scholarship, service and leadership. Rooted in and committed to Christian faith, Pillar College fosters intellectual, spiritual and social development among its diverse student population. Pillar College has locations in Newark, Somerset, Paterson, Plainfield, and Jersey City, New Jersey. Founded in 1908. For more information about Pillar College, visit https://pillar.edu