Zone 16
No. 14 Vol. 1
New View Media Group • 1-800-691-7549
September 25, 2018
Former Basketball Star Shares Wisdom On Shaking Free Of Addiction
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By Steve Sears he Community Partners of Hope, partnering with the Lincoln Park Municipal Alliance and Shop-Rite of Lincoln Park, are hosting REBOUND: The Chris Herren Story, on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. Herren had it all. He was a star high school basketball player, was recruited nationwide by colleges, and finally, he achieved his boyhood dream, getting drafted by the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, and eventually a member of his hometown team, the Boston Celtics. However, Herren also had a life of significant drug abuse which torpedoed his career. Alcohol and drug free since August 2008, he now travels and talks of the perils If you're thinking of selling your home...
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of addiction, and what it takes to recover and survive. “The program consists of a short video of Chris Herren’s addiction problems from his All -American college basketball career to be drafted into the NBA and his eventual playing in Europe,” says Doug Cook, president of the Community Partners for Hope. “He then will address the crowd and take questions at the end of the presentation. He is a nationally known speaker, and will discuss his addiction problems, his time in rehab and what he is doing now to help fight the problem of addiction.” Herren did visit the area in 2017, addressing Pequannock Middle School students, Holy Spirit 7th and 8th graders, high school students, and the adult community. “We had over 1,400 students and parents attend these workshops,” says Cook. “We are addressing students and parents of Lincoln Park because many did not have an opportunity to see him initially.” The Community Partners for Hope, of which the Lincoln Park Municipal Alliance coordinator is a member, consists of different organizations located in Pequannock and Lincoln Park. Included are Chilton Medical Center, First Reformed Church of Lincoln Park, First Reformed Church of Pompton Plains, Good Shepherd Episcopal Church of Lincoln Park and Montville, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Lincoln Park Municipal Alliance, New Bridge Services, Our Savior Lutheran Church of Pompton Plains, Pequannock Municipal Alliance, Pequannock Teachers Association, Pequannock Township Coalition, Pequannock Valley Rotary, Suburban Woman’s Club of Pompton Plains, W/HIM (Woman’s Hands in Mission) and Pequannock UNICO. “The organization originally was started as the Grains of Hope food packaging event by the First Reformed church of Pompton
Plains,” recalls Cook. “The need to expand its membership led to the Grains of Hope becoming a community event and this year we packaged our one millionth meal which was sent to both the NJ Food Bank and HAITI.” In one of their “wrap up” meetings, the group decided to do more than just food packaging events and started the Community Partners for Hope, which addresses both food insecurity and things that threaten our families and communities. Cook adds, “We have provided multiple speakers on the topics of the Opioid Epidemic that is sweeping our nation, human trafficking, cyber safety and bullying.” Those wishing to attend the free REBOUND event, which will be held at Lincoln Park PAL/Community Center in Lincoln Park, can register through Eventbrite, cpfh1804.eventbrite.com. The Community Partners for Hope is a fully certified 501c3 non-profit organization, and donations can be sent to P.O. Box 532 Pompton Plains, N.J., 07444.