As it stands now, the CASA games will not be held this year. The CASA games have for many years been a very special evening presented by the Coalition Against Substance Abuse. Held at Manhasset High School, the evening featured a student faculty basketball game, a 3 on 3 basketball tournament for grades four through six, food and refreshments and raffles. Most of all it was a community get together which many of our young people looked forward to and enjoyed, which sent a much-needed positive message.

This writer still has fond memories of my older son eagerly awaiting the 3 on 3 tournament; gossiping about who would play together; and forging bonds of friendship making up a team and sharing in the common experience of not only playing at the games, but socializing after. One year we had a conflict with my niece's engagement party and I recall racing to the city, rescuing my son from the party and jumping on the train with him, just to make it back to Manhasset in time for him to play in his 3 on 3 game. I still remember when it struck me for the first time that my son and his friends were entering a new phase in their young lives when the hot topic of discussion one year was the fact that one of the boys sat next to a girl and talked to her during the student faculty game. When my younger son reached the fourth grade it was as if the torch had been passed to a new generation and he reveled in the idea of playing in the games and participating in the festivities every bit as much as his older brother.

Moreover, amid the revelry, the essential message was not lost. Somewhere along the way; in the discussions about teams; on the car ride or train ride to the game; in talks about getting older and advancing in grades, which naturally flowed from a discussion of the games; came some frank talk about the dangers of the use and abuse of alcohol, drugs, and even prescription medications. The games presented a favorable backdrop for parents to use in framing an important message to their children.

My younger son was heartbroken when I told him that apparently this year, the last year of his eligibility to play in the games, there would be no games. The games were listed on the school calendar, scheduled for April 4, but as the date drew near we received none of the notices that would customarily come home in the schoolbag. My wife, who had been a volunteer at the games for years, contacted a representative and was advised that support had simply waned this year. There were not enough volunteers; not enough sponsors; getting staff to play was like pulling teeth and some were rumored to actually be looking for remuneration to play.

What a shame. What an awful shame if Manhasset's legacy with respect to an event designed to raise awareness about the evils of substance abuse and to promote education of our young in that area will be that it wilted due to apathy. Anecdotal evidence and what we read in the public domain both about our town and the nation at large should elevate our concern over the potential for our youth to engage in some level of substance abuse to be increased, not reduced. Likewise the commitment of this community and our educators to promote the efforts of any organization striving to raise awareness of this issue should be strong and steady at a minimum. Frankly, I do not know if it is beyond the pale to resurrect and reschedule the CASA games for later this year, but I sincerely hope that this plea will resonate with many out there and that there will be a groundswell of support so that a fine tradition does not see its demise.

Leland Garbus