“Make no mistake about it. This is not just a little bit of a problem. This is not just a minor item. This is something that has been referred to by many people as an epidemic, a plague, a disaster,” said Representative Jerry Knowles, on the statewide illegal drug problems. “And it’s all of those. It is each and every one of those words to describe the situation that we’re dealing with here.”
About 60 to 70 concerned and interested residents gathered at the Hamburg Field House on Saturday, Nov. 15, for a community awareness forum hosted by H.A.D.I.T. (Hamburg Area Drug Intervention Team). The November event was a postponement from the original September event that was moved due to heavy rain.
“I’m here to tell you that we cannot stick our heads in the sand. We cannot say ‘Oh that’s not gonna happen to me.’ It can happen to each and every one of us. I for one know. I learned the hard way,” said Tina Hoffert, one of the speakers, who lost her daughter to a heroin overdose January 4, 2013 and then her son on March 22, 2013.
The grassroots organization that was founded by concerned citizens in the Hamburg area has partnered with other groups such as Teen Challenge to try to find ways to combat and defeat the illegal drug problems that are happening right here in Hamburg and its surrounding areas.
“We know the problem,” said George, representing H.A.D.I.T. “The illegal drug problem here and in other places in our country is big, complicated and hard to fix.”
“Hamburg has problems,” said Peter Kalabisko, Hamburg Mayor. “We need to take care of, as a community, the problems that affect us.”
Booths from various organizations that have partnered with H.A.D.I.T. or were interested in helping fix the illegal drug problem were set up along the bleachers inside the Hamburg Field House offering information on their groups and on the growing drug problem.
“We as a community need to group together. And we need to support each other,” said Hoffert.
Many of the speakers agreed that the problem cannot be fixed by one group or in one way.
“A good sign is everyone that is here,” said Jon Kurland from the Berks County District Attorney’s Office. “This is a sign of interest in the community with people who want to look for ways that this problem can be addressed.”
He continued, “We cannot single handedly fix this problem.”
In an effort to show the numerous angles that can be taken together to hopefully find solutions to the illegal drug problems, H.A.D.I.T. had a variety of speakers from different sides and areas that spoke on their experiences and what they are doing to combat the problem.
Joining Knowles, Hoffert, Kalabisko and Kurland as guest speakers were Chief Pedro Rivera of the Hamburg Borough Police Department, Andrew Netznik from Hamburg Area High School, Jaclyn Steed from the Council on Chemical Abuse, Peter McMenamin from Teen Challenge, Jordan from F.R.E.E., Daphne Klahr from Reading Recreation Commission and Dr. Matt Shollenberger.
The afternoon was split into two sessions with a panel discussion and question and answer portion after each speaker in the panel finished.
More information on H.A.D.I.T. can be found on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/HamburgAreaDrugInterventionTeam.