Red Ribbon Week marks fight vs. substance abuse
BY ELANA ARON
Correspondent

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - Mayor Anthony J. Ammiano designated the week of Oct. 21-29 Red Ribbon Week.

At the Oct. 24 meeting of the Township Committee, Ammiano joined municipalities throughout the country in observing a week dedicated to fighting drug and alcohol abuse.

Red Ribbon Week was started in 1988 by the National Family Partnership in memory of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, an undercover federal Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was murdered in 1985 during a Mexican drug cartel investigation.

To honor his memory, friends and neighbors began to wear red satin badges, which eventually led to the formation of coalitions against drug abuse.

Today, more than 80 million people throughout the United States participate in Red Ribbon events, according to information provided by the township.

In his proclamation, the mayor urged citizens to "participate in drug prevention activities, making a visible statement that they are strongly committed to a drug free community."

Eva M. Carella, coordinator for the Freehold Community Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, received the Municipal Alliance Achievement Award in recognition of her efforts in the fight against substance abuse.

The community alliance serves Free-hold Township and Freehold Borough.

"We provide programming on substance abuse issues for the whole community," Carella said of the alliance's purpose. "We provide counseling in schools and we have a program for seniors offering information regarding prescription drug use and gambling issues. Red Ribbon Week is a national time to focus on substance and drug abuse."

Other programming includes Life Skills Training, a drug resistance program aimed at elementary and middle school students, and Peer To Peer, which provides middle school students with training to educate their peers about substance abuse prevention.

Funding for the alliance is primarily provided by the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, with additional funding provided by Freehold Township, Freehold Borough and outside donations and fundraisers.

In conjunction with Red Ribbon Week, five teenagers received certificates of achievement for their participation in the Anytown, NJ program. The teens are Dan Cugini, Cindy Colon, Ramy Jaber, Frank Clyburn and D.J. Fountain.

Anytown, NJ, which is a summer camp operating in July, is one of the programs sponsored by the National Confer-ence for Community and Justice and is open to all Freehold Township high school students. The program is designed to educate students about ethnic, racial and religious diversity and tolerance.