CAPTION: Participants are seen in the 2006 CHAD March Against Drugs.

When Peter Looney joined Charlestown Against Drugs circa 1987, the fledgling group had met some resistance in its mission to raise awareness of and to prevent substance abuse among neighborhood youth.
“It was not the ‘in’ thing to do,” said Looney, longtime chairman of the organization. “People were in denial at the time and used the phrase ‘recreational drugs.’ People were afraid to go to meetings because they thought others would view it as admission of a problem.”
Looney joined CHAD at the request of Dennis McLaughlin, the first chairman of the Charlestown Neighborhood Council. The original organization included 12 members representing the news media, clergy, the court system, the police department and the community. Despite opposition from some segments of the community, Looney said the organization soon gained legitimacy under the guidance of CHAD co-chairs Gloria Conway, a community activist and publisher of Charlestown Patriot at the time, and Jerry Steimel, then the executive director of the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club.
“Gloria and Jerry brought credibility, organizational skills and their personalities to the table,” Looney said. “When they said something, you knew they were doing it for the good of Charlestown.”
Looney also credits the MGH Charlestown Smart Choices program for providing CHAD with funding, meeting spaces and additional support in the beginning. “We wouldn’t have been able to exist without them,” Looney said.
In 1991, CHAD partnered with the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club to present Just the Facts Day, an annual program featuring guest speakers and substance abuse workshops that continues to this day.
The following year, CHAD, now under the leadership of Looney, launched its annual March Against Drugs, a procession through neighborhood “hot spots” that culminates in an anti-drug program at the Clarence R. Edwards Middle School playground and typically draws between 300 and 400 residents. This year, the event kicks off at Barry Playground on Monday, June 9, at 5:30 p.m.
Looney’s work with CHAD in the early ‘90s also included distributing anti-drug literature at various community events, along with Judy Evers, a lifelong Charlestown resident who then served as the neighborhood liaison to Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
“This provided more awareness and more visibility and served as a reminder that there was an issue with alcohol and substance abuse,” Looney said.
Meanwhile, CHAD collaborated with Rev. Ronald D. Coyne, pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Church from 1991 to 1996, to sponsor Teen Day. More than 250 youths turned out for the program, which included a dance and the Improbable Players, a troupe of young actors who perform in plays based on their own personal experiences with substance abuse.
In 1995, CHAD partnered with Lynn Peters, community liaison for the John F. Kennedy Family Service Center, to publish “The Charlestown Connection.” This booklet was distributed to residents and listed contact information for substance-abuse treatment programs and other community resources.
In the late ‘90s, the Bunker Hill housing development saw an influx of Hispanic residents, which resulted in several confrontations between different segments of the community. To help keep the peace, Looney joined Evers, Bunker Hill Tenants Task Force Chairman Phyllis Senna, Patriot-Bridge columnist Bob DeCristoforo and Rev. James M. DiPerri, who succeeded Coyne as the pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Church, on regular “walk-throughs” of the development.
“We live here, and we’re all volunteers,” Looney said. “When something happens, we try to get the information to the streets and diffuse problems.”
After Looney was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004, the reigns were temporarily passed to CHAD Secretary and Charlestown native Mike Charbonnier.
“CHAD wouldn’t have exited if it weren’t for Mike,” Looney said. “He kept it going and improved it, and he is still involved to this day.”
Among the countless others who Looney credits for CHAD’s success to over the years include Fr. Daniel J. Mahoney, pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church; Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s neighborhood liaison, Jack Kelly; and Peabody Properties staff member Don Young, as well as Charlestown residents Kathy Whitehouse, Jack Schievink and Doug MacDonald. In addition, Captain Bernie O’Rourke, Captain Ron Conway (Ret.) and Sgt. Tom Lema, all of Boston Police Area A-1, have offered their support to the organization. CHAD also continues to benefit from partnerships with neighborhood schools and community organizations, including the Charlestown Working Theater, Charlestown Lacrosse & Learning Center, Charlestown MissionSAFE and the Charlestown Substance Abuse Coalition, among other groups.
“It’s Charlestown people helping Charlestown people,” Looney said.
Looking forward, Looney only hopes that CHAD will continue to raise awareness of drug abuse in the community as it has for more than 20 years.
“I hope that residents understand that if it wasn’t for CHAD… the awareness of substance abuse wouldn’t be where it is today,” Looney said. “We’ll still be in the streets when people need us. We’ll keep plugging away.”
For more information on Charlestown Against Drugs, contact Executive Director Peter Looney at 617-699-3501.

State Rep. Eugene O’Flaherty recently helped allocate funding for several organizations that serve Charlestown when the state House of Representatives passed a $28 million operating budget for Fiscal Year 2009.
The Charlestown Recovery House, which has its official opening this Saturday, is the recipient of $100,000 in state funding. Since 2002, O’Flaherty has helped secure $600,000 for the substance abuse treatment-facility.
“The Recovery House proponents, led by Jim Travers, have been working on locating a physical site in Charlestown for years,” O’Flaherty said. “The state money I got allocated helped them through the ups and downs of that process. Without the physical site, the money has provided a hotline which allowed beds to be set aside for Charlestown residents for substance abuse treatment.”
Jim Travers, founder and president of the Recovery House, said the funding that O’Flaherty helped secure this year facilitated another $460,000 state grant for the Bay Cove Bureau of Substance Abuse to cover the day-to-day costs of operating the treatment facility.
“Gene has supported us from the very start,” Travers said. “The monies he has given us allow us to have a virtual house, which is the referral program. Now that we have bricks and mortar, the Recovery House is a reality, but we’ll still have the referral program.”
O’Flaherty also helped secure funding for the Life Focus Center — a portion of which will be used to finance a training program based at Bunker Hill Community College for highly functioning mentally-disabled people who want to work in pre-schools, according to Life Focus Center Executive Director Jack Millerick.
“Gene has been unbelievable in following through for the disabled, aging and pre-school populations across the board,” Millerick said. “He’s been there since day one. He asks a lot of questions and gets involved.”
The Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, which had its eye on relocating from its current Nashua Street site to the Navy Yard, was also among the recipients of state funding.
"Thanks to the leadership efforts of Rep. Gene O'Flaherty, the revised reimbursement structure will support Spaulding's ability to continue providing the highest quality care to adults, children and some of our wounded soldiers recovering from catastrophic injuries," said Spaulding President Judy Waterston.
Meanwhile, O’Flaherty helped secure $50,000 for the Freedom Trail Foundation to support, educate and market the 2.5-mile walking trail, which goes through Charlestown.

Eva Greene, age 2½, takes a break from watering the flowers in the Community Garden to talk on her toy cell phone.

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Residents mingle at the Charlestown Wine Club’s inaugural event at the Navy Yard Bistro & Wine Bar on May 4.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: Pictured, left to right, are the raffle winners from the Charlestown Wine Club’s May 4 event: Scott Williams, Shellea Ewig, Mary Ann Callan, Brian Litofsky, Emilie Martin and Paul Gruchacz.

Neighborhood wine lovers have reason to rejoice with the recent formation of the Charlestown Wine Club.
The Wine Club, which is the brainchild of President Pam Brickley, Secretary Stephen Tucker and board members Dan Burns and Jesse MacDonald, intends “to create a comfortable, casual environment for learning about wine and meeting new people,” Brickley said. Its inaugural event at the Navy Yard Bistro & Wine Bar on May 4 drew approximately 40 people and included a wine tasting, a raffle of wine from the tasting and a survey for those in attendance.
“The survey was our way of listening so that we can make the [Wine Club] the type of club that people want to be part of,” said Tucker, who developed the study that focused on wine pricing, like and dislikes and pairing with food, as well as what type of venues would best accommodate future events sponsored by the group.
As for the future, Brickley said the Wine Club plans to schedule three or four more events this year and ultimately gain non-profit status, which would allow the organization to hold community fundraisers.
To be placed on the Charlestown Wine Club’s mailing list, e-mail charlestownwineclub@gmail.com.

The Charlestown Mothers Association’s annual fundraising gala at the Charlestown Boys & Girls Club on Saturday, May 17, was its most successful event ever, with more than 250 in attendance. All proceeds will be distributed in Charlestown in the form of scholarships and support of family events. The organization wishes to thank all the local businesses and individuals for their generosity in helping make this a spectacular event.