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03/23/2016 09:00 AMRemember your days in the old schoolyard—hot metal slide, swings with U-shaped straps at the ends of their chains? The familiar sting of a hard rubber ball?
The art of hurling and dodging the dreaded red ball is as much a part of the American school experience as the Pledge of Allegiance and the No. 2 pencil. And next month, State Representative Jesse MacLachlan plans to bring his A-game to the court when The Morgan School hosts a community dodgeball tournament. MacLachlan represents the towns of Clinton, Killingworth, and Westbrook in the 35th District, where he’s sought to raise awareness of substance abuse and prevention—the goal of the April tourney.
The event, titled Dodge, Dive, Dip and Donate, is hosted by Friends of Clinton Youth & Family Services Bureau andwill raise funds for an evening communitywide discussion with sobriety advocate and NBA basketball player Chris Herren. Herren, 40, who played for the Boston Celtics, will come to Clinton on Oct. 6 and 7 and share his life story, which includes several chapters—20 years’ worth—lost to alcohol, prescription drugs, and eventually heroin. (A 2014 study found that at least 75 percent of heroin addicts used prescription opioids first.) Herron began his recovery in 2008. Through speaking engagements across the country, he offers audiences both a cautionary tale and a message of hope and encouragement.
Friends of Clinton Youth & Family Services Bureau received a $3,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County to help cover the costs of Herron’s speaking engagement and to establish the THP Project Purple Initiative at The Morgan School and Jared Eliot Middle School, a program that promotes sobriety among youth.
“Given the rise in drug overdose cases along the shoreline, this is a timely and very important issue for families to discuss,” said Lois Ruggiero, president of Friends of Clinton Youth & Family Services Bureau. “The goal of this event is to create awareness and educate the public on the epidemic of substance abuse while encouraging teens and people of all ages to make positive decisions.”
All proceeds from the dodgeball tournament will pay for expenses not covered by the Community Foundation grant.
High school students will square off against adults in teams of 10 at The Morgan School gym on Tuesday, April 12, starting at 6 p.m. Anywhere from 12 to 16 teams are expected to participate. Admission to the tournament is $5, and pizza and snacks will be sold.
High school students interested in participating should contact freshman advisor Sue Cockley at The Morgan School. Adults may sign up with Lois Ruggiero at Clinton Parks & Recreation, 201 Killingworth Turnpike, Clinton. The cost is $10 per player.
Friends of Clinton Youth & Family Services Bureau is a not-for-profit organization working to improve the quality of life, health, and safety of Clinton youth and families through counseling, intervention, and referral services.
For more information on how to support this community outreach, contact Lise Gazzillo at 860-705-9223 or friendsofcyfsb@gmail.com.