STAR OF BROOKLYN: Donna Mae DePola

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Donna Mae DePola is a member of Community Board 7, and chairperson of the board’s Mental Health and Community Service Committee. Additionally, she is a member of The New York State Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services, serving on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Committee; and The New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers, Inc., serving on the Cultural Diversity Committee; and she was the past president of the Association of Addiction Professionals of New York. She is also the founder, president and CEO of The Resource Training Center (TRTC) in Sunset Park.

PERSONAL LIFE: DePola was born and raised in Sunset Park. After enduring a childhood filled with sexual abuse, and a young adulthood laden with drug addiction, DePola dusted herself off when she could not receive the help she herself once sought out and successfully turned her life around.

“I realized the school I went to wasn’t that friendly, and opened a new one,” DePola said.

She now commands a mass movement geared towards rehabilitation and recovery in South Brooklyn so that others may do the same.

CAREER: DePola is a keystone individual in drug recovery in South Brooklyn, as well as New York State. TRTC offers numerous programs, ranging from Credentialed Alcohol & Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) training and certification to the Drinking and Driving Program. “We believe in education, not just recovery,” DePola said.

The center’s services are free, totally centered around recovery and helping others. It’s the only center of its kind in South Brooklyn.

DePola strives to achieve an open and congenial atmosphere, so that those seeking help have no reason to be deterred. “People want to see a friendly smiling face, and that’s what we have,” DePola noted.

“If we can play a small part in South Brooklyn to make things better, we are making the neighborhood better,” DePola said.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE: DePola’s biggest struggle is the same one she has dedicated her life to helping others overcome: drug addiction. DePola battled with drugs her whole life. When she sought out help, it was not easy to get. DePola has evolved from someone who felt like she had nothing, to a community leader with everything to give.

“I don’t think people really understand substance abuse, and they judge people,” she noted. “They’re just misunderstood, and we want to understand them, and give them a chance.”