Alliance For Consumer Education Will Take The Mound Against Inhalant Abuse
May 21, 2009 - Eastern League (EL1)
Trenton Thunder News Release
(Trenton, NJ): The Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE) announced today that they have entered into a partnership with three Eastern League baseball teams (Double-A Minor League) in a unique program designed to educate parents, school officials and individuals in the community about this often overlooked form of abuse. Children nationwide abuse more than 1,400 inexpensive and readily available everyday household, office and school products. The New Britain Rock Cats (CT), Bowie Baysox (MD), and the Trenton Thunder (NJ) have agreed to take the field with ACE this season and raise awareness about this issue.
This program - deemed "Striking Out Inhalant Abuse" - seeks to utilize the broad appeal of America's pastime and the tremendous popularity of Minor League Baseball Teams in their local communities to educate families. With the co-operation of the New Jersey School Counselor Association, mascots and team representatives will visit dozens of local grade schools to discuss the issue. The estimated thousands of students participating will also receive team-branded materials and a ticket to game.
Each team will host an Inhalant Abuse Awareness Game this season to include free promotional giveaway items, and educational components. The Trenton Thunder will host their event on Monday July 6th at 7:05pm home game.
The Alliance for Consumer Education (ACE) is a Washington, DC based charitable foundation dedicated to community health and well-being. Its flagship program is inhalant abuse prevention-the deliberate inhalation or "sniffing" or "huffing" of household products for the purpose of "getting high" - as it is a highly dangerous behavior that constitutes a "silent epidemic". "This program was launched to address parental unawareness and start a dialogue amongst families in their households about inhalant abuse," said Colleen Creighton, Executive Director at ACE. "There is a real problem when more than 1 in 5 children in the U.S. will abuse inhalants by the eighth grade".
This program stemmed from a 2008 partnership with the New Britain Rock Cats that included the first ever Inhalant Abuse Awareness Game at a Minor League Ballpark.
In New Jersey, 10.1% of students say they used inhalants to get high (New Jersey's "Youth Risk Behavior Survey", 2005) and inhalants are the 4th most-abused substance after alcohol, tobacco and marijuana according to the Southwest Council.
The Thunder have announced that all kids will eat for free at Waterfront Park all season long. All children with a ticket, ages 12 and under, will receive a voucher upon entering the ballpark good for a free hot dog, bag of potato chips, and a 12 oz. fountain soda at all 71 Thunder home games this season.
The Thunder are the only team in Minor League Baseball history at the Double A Level or below to draw over 400,000 fans for 14 consecutive seasons and have drawn over 6 million in attendance in its 15-year history.
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