CAP'S "SAY NO TO DRUGS" MARCH

(June 2008--Riverhead, NY) Riverhead Community Awareness Program, Inc. (CAP) sponsored its 23rd Annual Say NO to Drugs March on Friday, June 6, 2008. Former Pittsburgh Pirates baseball player Keith Osik was this year's main speaker.

A Long Island native, Keith Osik began his baseball career at Shoreham-Wading River High School, where he led the Wildcats to win the State Championship in 1987 and received the Carl Yastremski Award as the Most Outstanding Baseball Player on Long Island. He earned a scholarship to Louisiana State University, became the first college baseball player in over 100 years to play all nine positions in one game, and participated in the College World Series. Professionally, he has played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. He is currently the head baseball coach at Farmingdale State University.

Since 1983 Riverhead Community Awareness Program, Inc. (CAP), a not-for-profit agency, has been providing drug and alcohol prevention education programs for the Riverhead Central School District. Although CAP directly serves over 2,000 students a year through its prevention and counseling programs, it is best known for its two-year prevention program taught to over 750 fifth and sixth graders in Pulaski Street School by community volunteers and student peer leaders. The program ends with the annual Say NO to Drugs March in which students march from Pulaski Street School through Riverhead wearing Drug Free Body t-shirts.

The rain prevented the march but didn't dampen the spirits of the students who met in two assembly periods in the auditorium. Mr. Curtis Highsmith emceed the ceremony in which Mr. Osik addressed the students and community prompting the young people to "pursue your dreams to be lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers, or whatever it was that you desire to be . . . but don't let drugs ruin those dreams."

Riverhead Town Deputy Suprvisor William Welsh presented CAP President Nancy E. Binger with a Town Proclamation to CAP and Andrea H. Lohneiss was presented the John W. Conroy Award. Two students 5th grader Isabella Marcucci and 6th grader Sydney Kito won $100 Gift Cards to Tanger Outlets for their winning essays in the CAP essay contest.

After the ceremony, the Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #1742 once again generously served a picnic lunch to all of the students.

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