Alliance attack smoking

Pushes message of prevention

By: Candice Leigh Helfand
   MONROE — Diagrams, discussion and dinosaurs.
   These are the things that make up an anti-smoking campaign launched by the Monroe Township Municipal Alliance.
   "Our mission here is to eradicate alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in the community," said Robin Lavorato, director of the Municipal Alliance. "We dedicate November to tobacco prevention, mainly smoking."
   The program is separated into three sections, one for kindergarten through second grade, one for third through fifth grade, and a third for fifth through ninth grade.
   The K-2 children will watch videos starring Donnie the Dinosaur, a puppet that teaches children why smoking is bad for them. Donnie the Dinosaur videos are accompanied by a learning and activity book filled with mazes, crossword puzzles, quizzes about what is right and wrong, and of course, many pictures of Donnie just waiting to be colored in.
   The program started Monday and runs once a week from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. for six weeks.
   "Some of the parents have asked me if this is too young for their children to be in the program," Ms. Lavorato said. "But it’s been proven that kids around the ages of 10 or 11 have their first encounters with drugs and alcohol, so it’s important to start educating them as soon as possible."
   For the older children — grades three though five — there will be activity packets and group discussions in a program called Smelly Smoke. The older children also will be introduced to the concept of alcohol abuse, and how it too can affect people, physically and otherwise.
   This portion of the program will run for just three weeks, and takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
   Clued In, the program for grades five through nine, will be held on Wednesdays — the first meeting was held Nov. 15 — and will continue for two weeks. While it is also about drug and alcohol prevention, it goes into more detail than the other programs do.
   "These programs focus largely on social skills, especially refusal skills and decision-making, for when they’re faced a choice," Ms. Lavorato said.
   Information packets that cover topics such as how to quit smoking, and the negative effects of smoking during pregnancy will be available for parents.
   In addition, Janet Berkowitz, a mime, will perform a program called Be a Lung Lover on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Children will be invited to interact, and it too includes a message against drugs and alcohol.
   "All of the programs are age-appropriate," Ms. Lavorato said. "It’s important to start sooner rather than later. We’re really pushing to get the message out at a very early age."
   Every program mentioned is held at the Monroe Township Community Center, on Monmouth Road. For more information on how to get involved, or to sign up for the program, call (732) 723-5000.