Getting to know Cape Assist

Cape Assist is Cape May County’s non-profit drug and alcohol prevention agency located on the corner of Spicer and New Jersey avenues in Wildwood.
It has been proven that for every dollar spent on prevention, communities save fifteen dollars in societal costs such as child abuse, violence, broken homes and higher taxes. Prevention focuses on a community problem from a positive perspective.
Twenty-six years ago five dedicated individuals from Cape May County, Dr. James F. Mainlander, Maureen Mainlander, Suzanne E. Seeker, James J. Callahan, and Dorothy Stricklin, thought students should know the truth about alcohol and the problems it causes whenabused. These five people visited schools and made presentations. They advocated for funding and kept the issue of alcohol abuse in the forefront at community meetings.
Today, throughout the county, Cape Assist collaborates with institutions, schools and community groups to foster healthy families and neighborhoods. Programs include teaching life skills, parenting skills and leadership skills. Their services are available to all, regardless of ability to pay, ethnicity, race, gender, age, or sexual or gender orientation.
Cape Assist offers over 30 different programs in a variety of settings. They offer technical assistance to local businesses and organizations by providing them with the latest prevention strategies. They provide educational presentations to municipal alliances and faith communities and have hosted workshops for Golden Agers, Healthy Moms-Healthy Babies, the Elks Club and the Lions Club. They serve over 11,000 residents and guests of Cape May County each year.
Over the years Programs have been expanded to include the entire family from toddlers to adults, but Cape Assist’s main focus has always been the youth.
Teaching children life skills and providing parents with the necessary tools to increase communication and positive decision making are just a few ways Cape Assist helps kids meet today’s challenges to resist substance abuse.
Special programs like Forest Friends, a character education program and Sea Life, a violence prevention program for younger children as well as after school and summer programs such as K.A.R.E. (Kids Art Resource Education) in Wildwood and Middle Township are offered through Cape Assist.
Life skills lessons include: controlling anger, team work, and following directions. Special speakers are invited to discuss their careers and field trips are arranged. The program is free. For more information call Jessica at 522-5960.
For teens, they offer REBEL (Reaching Everyone by Exposing Lies), a youth group dedicated to telling the truth about tobacco and empowering teens to make positive decisions.
IMPACT 6 offers a six-hour education program for young people experiencing problems at home, at school, or with the law due to alcohol or drug use. Cape Assist also sponsors the Girl Power! Conference for 9-14 year old girls and the Peer Leadership Conference for our county’s middle and high schools’ student leaders.
One of Cape Assist’s programs that continues to have a positive impact on the youth and families of Cape May County is the Strengthening Families Program.
Families eat dinner together and then split into workshops. At the end of the session each family comes together and practices their new skills. Families attending all sessions earn a gift card of $100. The program is free. For more information call Temerity at 522- 5960.
Cape Assist is also the home of the Healthy Community Coalition, The Community Partnerships for a Tobacco Free New Jersey and the county’s Childhood Drinking Coalition. They have a speakers bureau and a resource library that offers literature, films and resources on the topics of substance abuse and prevention. Check out their Website at capeassist.org for more information.
Cape Assist is a good steward of community donations and help is always appreciated. Their financial statements are available at guidestar.com.