University Final Project: The Palmer Drug Abuse Program For my group’s final project we chose the local organization Palmer’s Drug Abuse Center. The reason why we choose this organization to incorporate into as our final project is because we thought that their goals and priorities fit with the issues that were discussed throughout the semester. The Palmer Drug Abuse Program began in 1971 at Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. The Palmer Drug Abuse Program is a fellowship of young people, adults and parents who share their experience love and understanding that they may solve their common problems and help others to recover from the effects of mind-changing chemicals. . The Palmer Drug Abuse Program is non-sectarian and the primary requirement for membership is the desire to live a chemical-free life. Its primary purpose is to carry our love and understanding to others, and to practice the principals of love and honesty in our daily lives, with the help of God, as we understand Him. The way that I helped with our project was doing the interview with the program. The way that I did this was by calling ahead and having questions ready to ask them. I asked them about their primary goals, their history, and their symbols. The most interesting aspect was both their history and their symbol. Their history goes all the way back to the spring of 1971 in Houston Texas. In 1980, when performer Carol Burnett was searching for effective treatment for her daughter, she took her to PDAP in Texas, and then took steps to bring PDAP to southern California. Very soon after PDAP of Los Angeles was opened, two families began commuting from Ventura County four times a week to attend meetings. The two families grew to twenty, and in 1981 a satellite program was begun in Camarillo. A Board of Directors was formed to develop local financial support and build a stable base from which to keep expanding services to meet the needs of Ventura County families. In 1984, PDAP became a member agency of United Way of Ventura County. During 1988, PDAP of Los Angeles ceased functioning as an independent agency, and PDAP of Ventura County filed for