Clear your calendar for next Tuesday night, May 24: The Verona Police Department, Verona Municipal Alliance Committee (VMAC) and the Verona public schools are partnering on a forum for parents about teenage drug and alcohol abuse, and dating problems.
The event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Verona Community Center. It will feature Allison Bressler, co-founder of A Partnership For Change, non-profit organization dedicated to ending family abuse and intimate partner violence, and Bill Lillis of the Partnership For A Drug-Free New Jersey, a state-wide anti-drug alliance. Verona Schools will be sending both Dana Lustig, the student assistance coordinator at Verona High School, and VHS School Psychologist Dr. Terri Shapiro.
Verona Police Department Juvenile Officer Joel Martin stressed at Monday night’s Town Council meeting that the forum is for all parents. “Even good kids can make bad decisions,” he said. “Most parents aren’t aware of what happens when their kids leave the house.”
The evening is being co-sponsored by the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse (GCADA), and Verona PBA Local #72. The Verona Community Center is located at 880 Bloomfield Avenue.
Virginia,
The educational program tonight put on by VMAC and Officer Martin was very eye opening. As parents we can’t be naive and we must be vigilant in helping our children defend off the destructive forces that they are exposed to on a daily basis. Its nice to know that we have a support system In place available to the children and parents as well.