BMAC Isn't Just About Basketball; And It Needs Your Help

With the epidemic of heroin in Brick Township and throughout Ocean County, a variety of efforts are underway to fight the spread of the drug and convince people -- especially children -- to stay away from drugs.

The Brick Municipal Alliance Committee is one of those efforts. Revived last year by Brick Township Mayor John Ducey and the Township Council, the committee meets monthly to discuss programs and efforts to reach children -- and the adults, too -- to prevent substance abuse.

When people hear BMAC, however, too many associate it with the town’s recreation basketball and softball programs, committee members say.

BMAC is much, much more than that.

The group is a coalition of community members -- parents, grandparents; people who work in substance abuse prevention -- as well as the Brick police department and the Brick Township school district that is working to prevent substance abuse, with a particular focus on prescription medications, which are fueling the heroin crisis.

Though BMAC has grant funding from the Governor’s Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the group holds fundraisers to expand its reach and its programs, to address the deeper issues associated with the heroin crisis, including teenage alcohol use.

One of those is a golf outing and dinner auction scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 12 at Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Lakewood.

In the coming days you will see BMAC members at Back-to-School nights, prepared to share information about resources to help teens who may be at risk for trying drugs and alcohol, or who may already be using one or both. BMAC also has been at the township’s Farmers Market each Saturday, at SummerFest, and will be at Bricktoberfest.

BMAC provides Open Mic nights for teens to show off their vocal talents -- those began last spring and will resume with the kids’ return to school -- and other fun programs, all in a drug- and alcohol-free environment.

Upcoming programs include a workshop for parents of kids who play sports, called “Parenting An Athlete.” While sports long have been touted as a way to keep children out of trouble and off drugs and alcohol, they have become a risky proposition in an age where young athletes are exposed to powerful painkillers in the wake of serious sports injuries, as well as the usual issues of peer pressure.

The ”Parenting An Athlete” program is facilitated by the St. Barnabas Institute for Prevention and will run Tuesday nights, Oct. 27 through Nov. 24, from 6 to 7:30. Contact the Recreation Department for more info or to register.

BMAC has received a grant from the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, but the grant only funds certain activities. The golf outing and dinner auction, as well as other fundraising initiatives, will allow BMAC to provide other programs to help combat the heroin scourge in Brick.

The golf outing is a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. with dinner and the gift auction beginning at 6 p.m.

The cost to golf is $150 per person, which includes the round of golf, use of the driving range, the locker room facility, bag drop and a golf cart as well as dinner.

If you’re just interested in a good meal and getting in on the gift auction, the cost to attend is $50.

BMAC is still looking for sponsors for the golf outing as well.

For information about the golf outing, contact Madeline Iannarone at 732-262-1076 or by email at miannarone@twp.brick.nj.us.

For more information on BMAC, including substance abuse resources and information, click here. The committee meets the last Monday of every month at 7 p.m. in the municipal building, and the meetings are open to the public.