Alliance for the Prev. of Drug & Alcohol Abuse

Mission Statement

The Wall Community Relations/Community Alliance was established in 1980 to support and foster programs and services to combat issues of alcoholism and drug abuse, and to promote improved relations, communication and community service in the Township.  The Alliance committee is made up of volunteers from a broad cross-section of the community-township residents who strive to make Wall the best it can be.

Some of the responsibilities of the Alliance are to provide substance abuse awareness, education and prevention services to the residents of Wall. These programs are created based on the needs of the community as determined through the 7 prevention strategies as adapted from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention.

 The Alliance is coordinated and networked through the Monmouth County Board of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.  Funding for the Alliance is provided by the Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse with fines collected from the Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction (DEDR) program, local municipalities and by donations from individuals and businesses

History & Purpose

The Mission of the Wall Township Community Alliance and other Municipal Alliances is to reroute funds from drug arrests into Substance Abuse Prevention education and related community service activities within our town and in our schools. The Alliance is funded by a grant from Monmouth County for this purpose. The Alliance was instituted by the State of New Jersey's Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in 1989 and approved in 1991. It is also called the Governor's Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention.
Who Composes the Alliance

The Wall Township Community Alliance Committee is composed of several Volunteer members and a Coordinator. The members represent different sectors of the community, for instance, Clergy, Town, Board of Education, School system, Businesses, Service Clubs, Trade Unions, VFW etc. The Coordinator acts as a liaison for the committee and other community organizations and organizes and hosts prevention and education activities and events for the committee as they decide.

​What is the Community Alliance?

Many residents have no idea what our organization is and what we do, so we thought we would educate our community about this wonderful group of volunteers and why we are here. The Alliance was established in Wall Township in 1978 to support and foster programs and services to combat issues of alcoholism and drug abuse, and to promote improved relations, communication, and community service in the Township. The Alliance program was started in New Jersey on a statewide level in 1989 and signed into law by the governor as The Governor’s Alliance to Prevent Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. County Alliances were created to oversee the drug and alcohol prevention activities of all Municipal Alliances. The Alliances are partially funded through mandatory penalties on drug offenders (DEDR funds), matching township funds, and in-kind services, as well as local fundraising efforts. As of 2004, the Monmouth County Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services coordinates 26 prevention Alliances in Monmouth County.

Municipal Alliances are comprised of many volunteers from a broad cross-section of the community as is the case here in Wall Township. Many of our volunteers have dedicated 10-25 years of service on our Alliance committee and thousands of hours of service every year. These members are appointed by our Township Committee for a 3-year term but the committee is also open to anyone that would like to be involved. 

​What do we do?

The Alliance strives to provide many well rounded programs in our community to decrease the use of drug and alcohol use in youth and to help prevent the abuse of substances in our community. The Alliance works closely with the Wall Youth Center and Community Services, the Township Committee and Mayor, the Police Department, the Board of Education and the Substance Abuse Counselors in the schools. Some of the programs we offer to the community and that have been funded through a grant are: BABES, which is a puppet based life skills curriculum offered to all 3rd graders in Wall Township. We have been offering this program to the schools for over 20 years free of charge. Project Graduation, which is an all-night drug and alcohol free celebration designed for the graduating senior class. The Alliance has successfully presented this party to the class for the past 24 years. We also host community education programs regarding drug and alcohol use and abuse for youth and adults. We work closely with the are schools and Wall Police Department to help educate community members as well as collaborate on mutual programs.

The Wall Alliance is also a sponsor to events in the community like our annual Kids Day America. This event is one of our largest and takes place in September. The event was designed through the efforts of the Wall Alliance and Dr. Tony Garrow as a Kids Health, prevention safety and environmental awareness day. Each year the event is attended by over 1,000 parents and children who enjoy many features such as pony rides, petting zoos, food and many educational components offered by businesses and organizations in the community. In March and December the Alliance offers a Pancake Breakfast as an Alliance Awareness Day and fundraiser. In its 15th year, our goal has been to bring as many people from the community together to talk to them about drug and alcohol prevention efforts, what we do plus try to raise extra funds to enhance our existing programs. 

About the Committee

The Alliance for Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse is comprised of 12 members who serve 3-year terms. The committee is authorized by NJSA 40:48-2 and Wall Township Ordinances Chapter 6-27 to 6-36.

​The Wall Community Alliance meets the first Thursday of the month at 7 pm downstairs in the Wall Municipal Building. All of our meetings are open to the public. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or you would like to get involved with any of our programs, please call Kristin Meyler, Wall Alliance Coordinator at 732-820-4792 or email at KMeyler@townshipofwall.com for more information.