YMCA of Western Monmouth County, a member of the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance, in collaboration with The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey and Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey, is introducing a new initiative designed to encourage and support parents in having meaningful and effective conversations with their children to prevent drug use. For more information about this drug prevention initiative, visit www.ymcanj.org/tcp.

Talking about sex isn’t easy for anyone. For parents, even the idea of talking to kids about sex is uncomfortable. But today we find ourselves in the painful position of having to talk to kids about sexual harassment, and the kind of inappropriate behavior that has become a staple of the news lately. Some of what’s being reported is, frankly, awful.

...A pilot program aims to reach the poorest of New Jersey's children and their families, by visiting the homes of young patients to reinforce the importance of medication and search for environmental asthma triggers. 

The program is funded by a private philanthropic organization and will take place in Passaic and Monmouth counties, Trenton and Newark. Its effectiveness will then be evaluated with the hope of expanding such visits statewide.  

K.E.Y.S. Academy knowledge empowers Youth & Sobriety Recovery High School.

Copies of the winter issue of the Parks & Programs Guide will be available at most county parks and online (www.MonmouthCountyParks.com) beginning Friday, November 3.

Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is pleased to announce the upgrade of the free mobile app, Monmouth County Votes, which is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The app is designed to give voters easy access to all information regarding elections and voting.

The 180 Turning Lives Around Family Justice Center marked its grand opening at the Monmouth County Courthouse with a ceremony attended by the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders, State and local officials and members of the community on Thursday, Oct. 26. 

There is a significant presence of marijuana candy and other edible forms in New Jersey and nearby states. The presence of these edible forms of marijuana poses a great risk to users, especially to children, who may accidently receive marijuana candy during Halloween. Marijuana candy is illegal in New Jersey. It contains Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main active ingredient that causes a high. Marijuana candy often imitates hard or gummy candy or chocolate. THC levels in marijuana candy can be as high as 90% compared to 10 to 20% found in marijuana vegetation.

The association (NAMI) recently launched a data project that is collecting information on faith-based organizations so it can eventually create a database for people to use when looking to join religious or spiritual groups in their community.

When a child endures a traumatic experience, the whole family feels the impact. But adults hold the power to help lessen its effects. Several factors can change the course of kids’ lives: feeling seen and heard by a caring adult, being patiently taught coping strategies and resilience-building techniques, and being with adults who know about the effects of such experiences. Here are ways to bring these factors to life.