You Count Class of 2014 Sponsored By The Municipal Alliance At The Paramus Pool

Pool Party Mark Distler, that omnipresent Paramus resident mentioned that their would be a party at the Paramus Pool on Thursday evening. He asked www.ParamusPost.com to stop by. Mark is involved in so many good things that it is difficult to resist a request. He’s still deeply involved in Save Our Wetlands along with Ed Onorato. Knowing that this was for our Paramus youth provided the incentive.

Waiting for the party to take place on a cool evening, I met a young lady by the name of Judy Forman who informed me that she represented Bergen County and was here to make sure that everything went smoothly. She explained some of the whys and wherefores of the Alliance and was nice enough to send me some details which are posted below.

Councilwoman Maureen O’Brien also attended, but it cost her. Maureen purchased a Fashions Night Out at the Westfield Garden State Plaza Shopping Center on September 10th. She said she would not be able to attend, but it was a fundraiser for the Paramus Sunrise Rotary Club and that she was happy to donate the ten dollars.

As mentioned, it was a cool night and not exactly swimming weather. There were a few rugged youths who braved the chilly waters and it seemed that they were all having a good time. There was a DJ, sandwiches, pizza chips and cold drinks.

Here’s some very basic information about how the Municipal Alliances came to be and how it all operates. Last night’s event was sponsored by the Municipal Alliance of Paramus; they receive funds as described below to do these programs provided there’s an alcohol/drug prevention message. The information here will help you to understand the process, but let me know if you have any questions.
Judy Forman

In 1989, by an act of the New Jersey Legislature (P.L. 1989, Chapter 51), the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA) was established as an independent planning and coordinating body covering all state, county and local efforts regarding alcoholism, tobacco and other drug abuse.

The GCADA has two primary missions; one is the development of a Master Plan with a State Government Component, and the second is to maintain the Municipal Alliance Program.

WHAT IS THE MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE PROGRAM?
Municipal Alliances are local planning and coordinating bodies established in all 21 counties to assess needs, set priorities, develop plans and implement programs that form the foundation of New Jersey's substance abuse prevention activities. New Jersey's Municipal Alliances provide over 3,800 prevention programs statewide.
The Municipal Alliance program has earned national awards from Parents' Resource Institute for
Drug Education, Inc. (PRIDE) and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), for being an outstanding network of community substance abuse prevention programs.

HOW DOES A MUNICIPAL ALLIANCE COMMITTEE WORK?
The Municipal Alliance Committee (MAC) is established by the local governing body. The members are appointed from a broad cross section of stakeholders in the community. Members include representatives from the governing body, education, health, law enforcement, civic, religious, and business organizations. From the inception of the Municipal Alliances, community volunteers have been the backbone of the program and they are parents, coaches, peer leaders, youth, seniors and others.
The 1989 legislation gave authority to the counties to administer the Municipal Alliances through the County Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Offices. Municipal Alliances determine the needs of their communities and develop prevention plans to address identified priorities.

WHERE DOES THE FUNDING COME FROM FOR THE MUNICIPAL ALLIANCES?
Funding for the GCADA and the Municipal Alliance program comes from the Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction (DEDR) Fund. The 1989 legislation established a set of fines on convicted drug offenders specifically to be collected into the DEDR Fund for the purpose of being returned to communities and used for local substance abuse prevention activities.

Our communities continue to witness unacceptable levels of illicit drug use, underage drinking, and the misuse of prescription drugs, as well as, high rates of juvenile delinquency, school drop outs and teen pregnancy. Research completed over the past two decades shows us that local level planning and implementation through community coalitions is an effective approach to prevent substance abuse, underage drinking, juvenile delinquency and more.