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