The Riverhead Community Awareness Program (CAP) is seeking community volunteers to teach the Too Good for Drugs Prevention Program to fifth and sixth grade students at Pulaski Street Intermediate School.
The volunteers would teach eight monthly presentations at Pulaski assisted by peer leaders in grades 8-12, according to a Riverhead CAP press release. The commitment to the program is approximately two hours per month during the 2025-2026 school year, with a flexible training schedule, the press release said. Both English and Spanish speaking volunteers are needed.
The program is an “evidence-based, skill development program” designed to mitigate the risk factors — and enhance protective factors — related to alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use, according to Riverhead CAP. The lessons help develop skills linked by research to health development and academic success, including “social and emotional skills for setting goals, making healthy choices, building positive friendships, communicating effectively, and resisting peer pressure,” according to CAP.
For more information about becoming a CAP volunteer, or to sign up, please contact Prevention Supervisor Cynthia Redmond at (631) 727-3722 or Cynthia.Redmond@RiverheadCAP.org.
“CAP volunteers represent a diverse cross-section of the community who share a common interest in helping young people make healthy decisions,” Redmond said in a statement. “Volunteers often share how much they enjoy working with the students and appreciate the enthusiasm the students have for the CAP program. I think the fact that many volunteers come back year after year speaks volumes about the joy the experience brings to their lives.”
Pastor Andrew Montoro, of Community Baptist Church in Aquebogue has been a CAP volunteer and a member of the Riverhead Community Coalition for Safe and Drug-Free Youth for several years.
“I first heard about CAP through the late Louise Wilkinson, a longtime CAP Volunteer, who attended our church,” Montoro said in a statement. “CAP seemed like a great opportunity to invest in our community and start new relationships. The time required is very manageable and you get to show the kids there are adults who care about their future.”
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