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RAID , from Page 1 ating a drug-free Hammonton
through cooperation with political and social entities .
The committee met for the first time at Kathedral Event Center on September 13 to introduce itself to the community and discuss its objectives in the fight against illegal drugs .
“ We ’ re here tonight for one purpose and one purpose only . That purpose is to rid our town of drugs for our children , grandchildren and future generations of Hammonton . We ’ re here tonight united as a town as one to conquer this battle ,” Sbarra Jr . said .
Residents Against Illegal Drugs operates with branches dedicated to prevention , outreach and awareness , each of which has a designated chairperson .
Tricia Donio is the chair of the committee ’ s prevention branch . Donio is also the coordinator of the town ’ s Drug Alliance and director of the Hammonton Family Success Center .
Donio said that while the Drug Alliance provides valuable substance abuse prevention tactics to the community , the community needs a group like Residents Against Illegal Drugs to further help remedy Hammonton ’ s drug problem .
“ The Drug Alliance provides substance abuse prevention , education through community events or specific town events . It doesn ’ t do everything , it doesn ’ t put kids in rehab , it doesn ’ t do any of that . So , that ’ s why I think something like this needs to be created ,” Donio said . As for the Hammonton Family Success center , Donio said they are continually working to help set up treatment for individuals dealing with addiction .
Lori ScottoDiVetta is the chair of the committee ’ s outreach branch . She said she noticed a lack of programs to help those suffering with drug addiction and their families going through the painful endeavor .
“ I ’ ve come to realize that there is a great need in our town especially for those who are afflicted with addiction , but also for the families that really suffer . There ’ s
Wednesday , September 20 , 2017 • The Hammonton Gazette • Page 3
‘ Residents Against Illegal Drugs ’ formed
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a lot of pain out there , and I found that there ’ s not too many things to offer the families … I would absolutely like to help you find places where you can get some kind of sanity , some kind of relief for yourself ,” ScottoDiVetta said .
A Hammonton Al-Anon ( Alcoholics Anonymous ) group has been put in place by Scottodivetta . On September 1 , its first meeting took place at St . Anthony of Padua Church ’ s hall , located at 285 Route 206 . The support group offers support for individuals who have a problem with alcohol or an addiction or have family members that do . The meetings will take place at the church hall every Friday at 7:30 p . m .
ScottoDiVetta said she also hopes to get a Nar-Anon ( Narcotics Anonymous ) support group to come to Hammonton in the future in order to specifically focus on individuals dealing with drug addiction . Al-Anon is also not limited to issues related to alcohol .
Larry Peterson is the chair of the committee ’ s awareness branch , which he said is essential in order to inspire the rest of the community to join the fight against illegal drugs in Hammonton . Peterson compared Hammonton ’ s drug problem to the recent hurricanes that have struck Texas and Florida , which killed 152 people as of September 14 despite ample media coverage and raised awareness .
“ We have a hurricane sitting right on top of Hammonton right now , and it ’ s called illegal drugs . And unlike the hurricanes down in Florida and two weeks ago in Texas , our hurricane is not going to blow out to sea or dissipate . It ’ s not going to go away until we unite together as a community and fight the illegal drug problem that we have . You guys came here tonight to learn about who we are and what our organization is all about . Our hope is that you ’ ll leave here and want to get involved because we can ’ t do it alone . We ’ re just a small group of people trying to make a difference , but we need the entire community to come together ,” Peterson said .
The grass roots efforts of Residents Against Illegal Drugs are mainly carried out by civilians , but Hammonton Police Detectives Slimm and Jared Baglivo also sit on the committee . The two have 23 and 17 years of experience within the Hammonton Police Department respectively and have seen the affects of Hammonton ’ s illegal drug problem firsthand . Slimm said the department has conducted two drug raids in the past six months , and is continuously working with external agencies like the FBI , DEA , Department of Homeland Security and more to crack down on drug
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