Wayne Alliance - Activities

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Wayne Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse Municipal Alliance Meetings are Scheduled for 2023

Residents are invited to become a Wayne Alliance volunteer or attend a public meeting and learn more about substance abuse prevention education.

The Wayne Alliance committee is appointed by Mayor Chris Vergano who asks the community to be involved in 2023, adding, “Together we can support Wayne families as we strive to reduce substance abuse.”

In compliance with the Sunshine Law, State of New Jersey, following is a schedule of the Regular Meetings of the Wayne Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse for the calendar year 2023:

Regular Meetings are held the third Wednesday of every month.

January 18, 2023
February 15, 2023
March 15, 2023
April 19, 2023
May 17, 2023
June 21, 2023
July 19, 2023
August 16, 2023
September 20, 2023
October 18, 2023
November 15, 2023
December 20, 2023

Meetings, which are open to the public, are held at NOON in the Wayne Health Department, Conference Room 2 located at 475 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ 07470.

Committees meet days/times as needed.

Substance abuse in Wayne and surrounding towns is becoming commonplace in schools, homes, and industry...affecting young and old alike.

Drug laws are designed to help control the problem but they do not eliminate or prevent it. Before there can be an effective control, there must be widespread education and understanding in the community. The tragic effects of substance abuse must be made abundantly clear to the community.

Members of the Wayne community — especially parents, teachers, governmental officials, and employers — feel and understand the impact of substance abuse along with the long-term effect it has on the mental and physical health of our community.

Difficult to measure, yet, very important, early prevention education and awareness are important tools in controlling addiction.  As individuals, we have the ability to support friends, family, neighbors and colleagues. 

2023 Events

Our other upcoming events are:

March 6th: Black Balloon Day acknowledging those lost to addiction. Volunteers at townhall shared information and prevention literature.

March - Health Fair at Wayne Valley High School Afternoon and evening...We will have a literature table and plan to hand out literature and our 'key' necklaces reminding attendees that they hold the 'KEY' to prevention through their decisions.



Basketball Fundraiser/Family Outing and Awareness event on April 14 (Alcohol awareness month) at 6:30-9pm. We're hoping to have 2-4 volunteers help hand out literature to attendees. We have had about 800 families attend past events. 

The Magic Masters are the hosts and they are very entertaining.  They also visit the schools in advance to get the excitement going and share the message of healthy lifestyles and how sports are a great healthy activity.



The Mayor's Community Forum is May 3 at the Cosmopolitan in Wayne 6-9pm.

We are helping coordinate the dinner event and always have literature to share with guests.

There are typically 100-200 guests. This year the Keynote Speaker is Stephen Hill (sponsored by Wayne Education Association) who will speak about building resiliency in our families.



August 31 is our Overdose Awareness Candle Vigil and Prevention Event

Usually from 7-9pm at Townhall, we have speakers who speak with attendees about their loss and what Wayne is doing to help prevention efforts along with take-home literature



September 10: Fun Run and Fundraiser at a park in Wayne planned for 9-11am.



We also take the opportunity on each holiday to remind residents to 'celebrate responsibly' and remember to reach out to others and check in on their mental wellness.

Along with our Monthly Meetings (third Wednesday of every month at Noon in the Wayne Health Dept) where we invite local professionals to speak about their successes and challenges in their office prevention efforts.

We also appreciate any interactions on our social media which helps inform residents of upcoming events and valuable public service announcements.

Want to donate your time to a good cause? We need volunteers for the following committees:
  • Public Relations
  • Fundraising
  • Membership
  • Grant Preparation

Ongoing Activities:
The Alliance provides quality educational programs about the risks and dangers of alcohol and drug abuse to all interested citizens. 

Here are some updates from the current programs the Wayne Alliance supports:
BABES--Beginning Awareness Basic Education Studies (BABES) is a primary prevention program designed to give children a lifetime of protection from substance abuse. BABES accomplishes this by assisting young people to develop positive living skills and by providing them with accurate, non-judgmental information about the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs.

This year, through the grant and additional donations from Chilton Medical Center, we are providing this program to EVERY 2nd grade in Wayne.

SMART Moves: We also continue to support these ‘life skills’ type classes at the Boys and Girls Club in Wayne.  Students from the Boys and Girls Club also volunteer with us at our annual Basketball fundraiser.  They provide valuable assistance as well as the opportunity to demonstrate their ‘SMART MOVES’ to the community.

Parent ‘Hot Topic’ Round Tables – This is a productive round table discussion group that periodically to discuss thoughts, questions & experiences regarding the prevention of alcohol, drug, and other substance abuse. Designed to be an interactive exchange of ideas with the moderation of Alliance members, attendees are encouraged to share conversation about the delicate dance of raising healthy children without alienating them.  Meetings are in the Health Dept. Conference Room 2 unless otherwise advertised.  Call 973-694-1800 x3244 for more information.

SENIOR CITIZENS: We continually work to increase our connection with the Senior Citizens of Wayne.  The W.I.S.E. Program (Wellness Initiative for Senior Education) is offered annually through the Municipal Alliance Grant.

We participate in Wayne Health Fairs and other informative events that give us the opportunity to interact with the community.

BASKETBALL FUNDRAISER: As you know, this is the largest fundraiser the Alliance runs each year in April.  Funds from this event provide money for programs that we can offer to the schools and the public that are not part of our grant. 
The Alliance is available to present workshops, training, and assemblies to:
•Youth Groups
•Civic Organizations
•Senior Citizen Groups
•Businesses
•Community

Stay in Touch and Please Consider Donating Any Amount:

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.waynetownship.com/alliance

Please Follow, Like, Comment and Share Awareness:

www.facebook.com/waynealliance

www.instagram.com/waynealliancenj

www.twitter.com/waynealliance

Your Donations Help Keep Prevention Education Alive.

Please consider donating any amount here:

www.waynetownship.com/alliance-donate.html
 

Town Hall

475 Valley Road
Wayne, NJ 07470
Weekdays 8:30am-4:30pm
Tuesdays open until 7:00 pm
Sat & Sun: Closed
Closed on State Holidays

Wayne DPW Complex

201 Dey Road
Wayne, NJ 07470
Weekdays 7:00am-3:30pm
Sat & Sun: Closed
Closed on State Holidays