Pubdate: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 Source: Santa Barbara News-Press (CA) Copyright: 2000 Santa Barbara News-Press Contact: P.O. Box 1359, Santa Barbara, CA 93102 Website: http://www.newspress.com/ RED RIBBONS AND LIFE You're going to see a lot of red ribbons on lapels, shirts and blouses around the South Coast this week. They symbolize a national movement to convince children of the value of living a sober life. Red Ribbon Week started in the mid-1980s following the murder of a drug enforcement officer in Texas. The idea is to encourage communities to get solidly behind the effort to teach young people that drug use is a losing proposition. Red Ribbon Week also is a chance to focus attention on the efforts of local government, various agencies and organizations, and individuals in a highly personalized war on drugs within specific geographic regions. Local events of Red Ribbon Week are coordinated by the Fighting Back Community Initiative, a program under the auspices of the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and South Coast Rotary Clubs. The special week of youth activities has been occurring here every year for more than a decade. This year, Fighting Back hopes to see more than 30,000 red ribbons being worn by local residents. The educational aspects of Red Ribbon Week also are in full swing. The anti-drug message is being delivered this week at all grade levels throughout the South Coast. On Sunday, beginning at 2:30 p.m., the public is invited to the Mural Room at the County Courthouse in downtown Santa Barbara for a special ceremony at which poster contest winners will be recognized and receive their awards. The best of the posters will be included in Fighting Back's 2001 calendar, which will be sold at a later date. This year's overall winner is Alison Woliver, a sixth-grader at Santa Barbara Christian School. Awards also will be presented for winners from kindergarten through the eighth grade. These are all integral parts of the overall Red Ribbon Week celebration, as are the flags flying along State Street. When you see the flags or the ribbons being worn by thousands of young people, think of the need for and the impact of a community pulling together to defeat substance abuse. There are so many things a child needs to learn, but one of the most important lessons is how to live a clean and sober life. Red Ribbon Week has become a reliable, annual reminder of that. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D