I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

Sticker Shock 2

Parents Who

Host

3

Pennsville

Town Hall

3

S U M M E R 2 0 1 4 V O L U M E 2

U P C O M I N G

S C R A T C H

M E E T I N GS :

July 9

No August

Meeting!

September 10

October 8

November 12

December 10

All meetings are

from 9-10:30am at

Inspira Hospital, 501

W. Front St., Elmer

NJ 08318 in the

Community Room

on the 2nd Floor

The SCRATCH Post

S C R A T C H I N G O U T S U B S T A N C E A B U S E S I N C E 2 0 1 2

Pennsville Town Hall Raises Awareness Pennsville Town Hall Raises Awareness Pennsville Town Hall Raises Awareness Town Hall Meeting in

Pennsville Addresses

Underage Drinking Before

Prom and Graduation Parents, educators and

youth gathered at the Penns-

ville Senior and Community

Center May 20 to discuss

the prevalence and dangers

of underage drinking at a

Town Hall Meeting. The

meeting was organized by

the SCRATCH Coalition,

the Pennsville MAPSA and

representatives from Penns-

ville High School.

Speakers at the event

included Pennsville Police

Chief Allen Cummings and

Pennsville Memorial High

School Principal Matthew

McFarland.

Chief Cummings shared

stories about popular hang

outs for teens where they

participated in underage

drinking and obstacles to

enforcing laws and keeping

youth safe.

Principal McFarland

showed the audience the

breathalyzer used to test

students arriving and leav-

ing popular school events

like prom and homecoming

dances. He also shared a

touching personal story

about a friend who died

from underage drinking.

The event also featured

a dramatic presentation by

the Pennsville High School

Lindsey Meyer Teen Insti-

tute. Two high school stu-

dents performed a skit to

demonstrate how drugs

slowly creep in and take

over your life.

The skit served as prac-

tice for the youth, who

would also perform the skit

in a school-wide assembly

continued on page 3…

(Below) Chief Cummings addresses the crowd at the Town Hall

Meeting. (Above) Youth from the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute

share a skit and their feelings about underage drinking.

An initiative of The Southwest Council

SCRATCH Coalition Coordinator Cory Gilden

1405 N. Delsea Dr. 856-794-1011, x316

Cory@southwestcouncil.org

Below: Pennsville Police joined

youth from Pennsville Memorial

High School for the Sticker

Shock event April 9th.

To highlight the consequences of underage drink-

ing during Alcohol Awareness Month this April,

youth from Salem and Cumberland counties partici-

pated in the Sticker Shock Campaign.

The SCRATCH Coalition coordinated a Sticker

Shock event with the Lindsey Meyer Teen Institute of

Pennsville Memorial High School and the Pennsville

Police Department at Fornaro’s Liquor Store in Penns-

ville on April 9th. Youth placed fluorescent green

stickers on cases and six packs of beer reminding con-

sumers to “Keep It Legal” and not buy alcohol for mi-

nors.

April 28th marked another effort by SCRATCH

Coalition members and youth from the Cumberland

County Healthy Communities Coalition’s Youth Net-

work to spread the word about underage drinking with a

Sticker Shock event at the Original Canal’s Liquor Store

in Bridgeton.

The Sticker Shock Campaign is a public information

campaign designed to reduce underage drinking. In addi-

tion, the campaign sends a message to young people in

the community that local establishments check identi-

fications and will NOT sell alcohol to minors.

To read more about the Pennsville event, visit: http://www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2014/04/campaign.html

Above and Below: SCRATCH Coalition members and the CCHCC

Youth Network joined together to sticker up The Original Canal’s

Liquor Store in Bridgeton with fluorescent green “Keep It Legal”

P A G E 2

Above: Youth from the Lindsey

Meyer Teen Institute place

stickers on alcohol at Fornaro’s

Liquor Store in Pennsville.

Sticker Shock Events Raise AwarenessSticker Shock Events Raise AwarenessSticker Shock Events Raise Awareness

In Salem and Cumberland CountiesIn Salem and Cumberland CountiesIn Salem and Cumberland Counties

T H E S C R A T C H P O S T

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2

In April and May

SCRATCH Coalition members

worked to spread the word

about the consequences of un-

derage drinking throughout

Salem and Cumberland coun-

ties.

Members left Parents Who

Host Lose the Most informa-

tional cards in offices, police

stations, liquor stores and any-

where else people would allow

them. They also distributed

bottle hangers to parents in Sa-

lem and Cumberland counties.

In April, which is Alcohol

Awareness Month, 804 county

employees received the infor-

mational card with their

paychecks, thanks to

SCRATCH member Polly

Viventi.

Parents were also sought

out by Connie Cossaboom at

a Prescription to Addiction

conference in May to sign

Parents Who Host Lose the

Most pledge cards. Those

signed the cards agree to host

only alcohol, tobacco and

other drug-free parties for

youth.

The Parents Who Host

Lost the Most is a national

campaign that discourages

parents from hosting parties

with underage drinkers by

reminding them of the legal

consequences that may be

faced.

Mark Anderson and oth-

er SCRATCH members will

be working on

getting the cards

into the hands of

various police

municipalities,

which can dis-

tribute them to

residents as they

are doing their

rounds.

Look for

more action

against under-

age drinking

from

SCRATCH

members in

upcoming

months!

Inside Story Headline

SCRATCH Coalition Fights Underage Drinking

Pennsville Town Hall continued from page 1…

on the day of prom, which was two days after the town hall

meeting.

Attendees of the meetings screened two videos while

they enjoyed their dinner: “A Stone’s Throw” and

“Empowering Parents to Prevent Underage Drinking in New

Jersey.”

“A Stone’s Throw” is a five-minute video that empow-

ered parents to prevent underage drinking by talking to

their children and also being aware of how they act around

their children with regards to drinking. It also cautioned par-

ents against hosting underage drinking parties.

“Empowering Parents to Prevent Underage Drinking in

New Jersey” is a fifteen-minute video featuring health pro-

fessionals, politicians and law enforcement officials from

New Jersey who outline the consequences of underage

drinking and how we can work together to bring about a

change in our culture.

Attendees participated in real-time polling using

handheld SNAP! polling devices. Answers appeared instant-

ly on the screen five seconds after participants punched in A,

B, C or D. Some poll questions included: “At what age

should you start talking to your children about alcohol?” and

“What percentage of youth get their alcohol from an adult

who buys it for them?”

In addition to interactive polling, participants were en-

couraged to give their input about underage drinking in

Pennsville through writing on their tables. Written on each

table cover were questions such as, “What more can school

officials do to prevent underage drinking?” and participants

were given colorful markers to write their answers directly

on the table.

Also on the table were informational brochures and leaf-

lets that community members could take with them to spread

the warning about the consequences of underage drinking.

Adults at the event were asked to sign a “Parents Who Host

Lose the Most” pledge card, affirming that they will not host

parties with underage drinkers.

About 30 people attended the meeting. The meeting was

attended by a Salem County Freeholder Julie Actin and the

Superintendent of the Pennsville School District, Dr. Mi-

chael Brodzik.

To read more about the town hall meeting, visit: http://

www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2014/05pennsville _township_

Spreads_the_word_on_dangers_of_underage_drinking.html

Parents Who Host Lose the Most informational cards

were distributed throughout Cumberland and Salem

counties earlier this year.

In the month of May over 200

individuals were educated on

prescription drug abuse and heroin at

two different awareness events.

Two events were hosted by the

Cumberland County Healthy Commu-

nities Coalition, the Salem—

Cumberland Regional Action Toward

Community Health (SCRATCH)

Coalition, and the Cumberland

County Prosecutor’s office. The

events were sponsored in part by The

Southwest Council, Inc., Inspira,

Governor’s Council on Alcoholism

and Drug Abuse (GCADA), and

Cumberland County College.

The first event, “Cumberland

County Prescription Drug Abuse and

Heroin Conference,” was organized in

hopes of attracting professionals who

are affected by this issue either

directly or indirectly. The three-part

conference had over 130 individuals

in attendance.

The day kicked-off with a

presentation from Michael DeLeon of

Steered Straight, Inc. DeLeon spoke

of the realities of prescription drug

abuse and heroin use. The harsh truths

were made clear when DeLeon

showed a documentary he produced

titled, “Kids Are Dying.”

The documentary consisted of

interviews with active users who

stressed that drug use and addiction is

not prejudice – those from all

backgrounds can and have fallen

victim to it. DeLeon also presented at

the evening community awareness

event, “Prescription to Addiction: It

Could be Your Child.”

Following DeLeon’s presentation

at the conference, Douglas Collier,

retired DEA agent and Drug Initiative

Coordinator with the New Jersey

Office of the Attorney General -

Division of Consumer Affairs,

presented. Collier, who has an

impressive professional background,

started his career with the CIA and

has also been featured in several

national television shows. In addition

to engaging the audience in

interactive and purposeful activities,

he discussed trends in use, addiction

as a disease, and what is being done

to address the issue.

The final portion of the

conference included a panel

discussion moderated by former

Millville Mayor, James Quinn. The

panel included individuals from

treatment agencies, a pharmacist, a

doctor, a law enforcement

representative, and an individual in-

volved in a local support group for

parents.

The varying experiences of the

panelists provided unique

perspectives regarding this local

concern.

A panel discussion was also had

at the evening community awareness

event, “Prescription to Addiction: It

Could be Your Child.” The event was

held on May 28 and was well

attended with over 80 people coming

out.

The evening panel consisted of

individuals representing treatment,

law enforcement, EMS, and also

included a mother who lost her son to

addiction, and two young men in

treatment.

Following the panel discussion,

passionate audience members

participated in a question and answer

session that urged the panelists, hosts,

and fellow attendees to continue

addressing the issues that affect so

many of our loved ones.

The two events aimed to increase

awareness on prescription drug abuse

and heroin as well as inform the

audience of how they could be a part

of prevention efforts. For instance,

attendees were encouraged to become

involved in the two coalition’s

substance abuse prevention initia-

tives. They were also asked to share

the information they learned in hopes

that it might help others recognize the

prevalence of the issue.

Additionally, attendees were

provided with information on how

and where to dispose of their

unwanted, unused, or expired

prescription medications.

Attendees were encouraged to

advocate for the installation of

permanent prescription drug drop

boxes in their local police

departments if one did not already

exist.

Kieko Warner, SAC for Millville High

School, asks Doug Collier a question at

the Cumberland County Prescription

Prescription Drug Events Share Harsh Realities

P A G E 4