Helping Communities Combat Substance Abuse Since 1990

Created in 1990, the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA) oversees the Alliance Program on the statewide level. GCADA receives money from the Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction Fund (DEDR) which is derived from fines that are levied upon people convicted of drug offenses. The money is granted to each county and then awarded to each municipality with a Municipal Alliance, established by municipal ordinance. Each municipality must match its grant with 25% cash and 75% in-kind monies. During fiscal year 2024, Atlantic County, as a whole, will receive a base grant of $188,811.00 during the funding cycle for prevention programming. The grant allows for $70,000 of these funds to be used for coordination and $9,281.11 for countywide programming. The remaining funds are distributed to the local Municipal Alliances.

Statewide, the Municipal Alliances exist in over 500 of New Jersey’s municipalities offering over 2,000 drug and alcohol prevention programs, serving thousands of residents. Locally, Atlantic County has 13 active municipal alliances, representing 23 communities. We have a 91% participation rate of community involvement in this program. There are over 200 volunteers working within these Alliances who administer, fund and/or run 164 substance abuse prevention programs. The Atlantic County Alliance includes representatives from: Local Advisory Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Atlantic County Human Services Advisory Council, Atlantic County Superintendent of Schools Office, Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, Youth Services Commission, Atlantic County School Board Association, Atlantic County health agencies, Atlantic County mental health agencies, the New Jersey Education Association, Family Part of the Chancery Division of Family Court, and local business and service providers.

DMHAS Youth Leadership Grant
County Alliance Programs
Municipal Alliance Programs
Municipal Alliance Coordinators
Atlantic County Alliance - County Alliance Steering Committee (CASS)
County Alliance Objectives

For more information on the Municipal Alliance program in Atlantic County, contact Brian Wilson, County Alliance Coordinator, (609) 645-5932, prompt 2 or email wilson_brian@aclink.org .

DMHAS Youth Leadership Grant

In addition to the DEDR funding, GCADA has awarded supplemental funding to Atlantic County for three years. The focus of this funding will be on youth leadership programs such as: ACES/trauma, resiliency, life skills, peer leadership, vaping/marijuana education, community, and other strength-based youth programs. This allows the municipal alliance to reimplement programs that may have been discontinued because of reduction in DEDR funding in previous years and allows them to expand on their efforts to strengthen their communities through many different initiatives.

Funding provides for base grants to be awarded to 13 participating municipal alliances, representing 15 Atlantic County municipalities as well as the Atlantic County Alliance. The grant total is $40,617.00 and will be equally distributed to these alliances in Term 2 (9/1/2023 – 9/30/2025).

County Alliance Programs

The Atlantic County Alliance conducts programs throughout the county to assist and support the Municipal Alliances. These programs include:

Training and Community Relations

The County Alliance program provides substance abuse prevention education opportunities for all County and Municipal Alliance members through meetings or workshops on specific drug and alcohol abuse prevention subjects. The program also supports the Municipal Alliances through attendance and/or participation at countywide community events or specific municipal events. In addition, the county program can provide and/or distribute brochures and prevention education materials upon request.

Municipal Alliance Programs

The role of each Municipal Alliance is to develop and provide prevention education programs, which meet their community's particular needs. Some of the most common programs among the Municipal Alliances are:

• Botvin Life Skills Training Program
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE)
• Forest Friends Puppet Prevention Program
• Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D)
• National Night Out
• Peer Leadership
• Project Prom or Project Graduation
• Red Ribbon Week
• Strengthening Familes
• Take Control of your Health
• Walking for Wellness- Senior Walking Program
• WISE - Wellness Initiative for Seniors Education

Municipal Alliance Coordinators

• Dawn Jones, Brigantine
• Gia Haws, Buena, Buena Vista Township, Weymouth
• Shawn Sullivan, Egg Harbor City
• Dena Danz, Egg Harbor Township
• Michele Hetzel, Folsom
• Kristen Manning, Galloway Township
• Kristina Lisitski, Township of Hamilton
• Mary Young, Hammonton
• Lisa Pilli, Linwood
• Kristi Hanselmann, Mullica Township
• Shannon Campbell, Northfield
• Kara Jeril, Pleasantville
• Kathy McFadden, Ventnor

County Alliance Objectives

1. Develop an annual County Annual Alliance Plan to allocate DEDR funds and ensure Municipal Alliance programs are consistent with the guidelines provided by the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
2. Develop programs and provide networking and educational opportunities for the County Alliances.
3. Identify a network of community leaders to support, expansion, replication and development of successful community model programs throughout the County..
4. Coordinate projects among and within municipalities to assure cost effectiveness and avoid fragmentation and duplication.