Pubdate: Thu, 30 Oct 2003
Source: Clay County Democrat (AR)
Contact:  2003. Clay County Democrat.
Website: http://www.claycountydemocrat.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3154
Author: Jennifer Vernon
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/topics/Red+Ribbon (Red Ribbon Week)

SCHOOL CELEBRATING RED RIBBON WEEK OCTOBER 27-31

Red Ribbon Week Festivities Are In Full Swing At Rector Elementary School 
This Week.

On Monday, Oct. 27, the school was decorated with red ribbons on "Let's 
Color The School Red" Day. Ribbons were handed out to all students and 
staff members to wear during the week.

Tuesday, Oct. 28, was "Put A Cap On Drugs" Day. Students and staff were 
asked to wear their favorite hat or cap.

Days remaining in the week are as follows:

- -- Wednesday, Oct. 29, is "Take A Stand For A Drug-Free Land" Day. Students 
and staff are asked to wear red, white, and blue to show pride for a 
drug-free country.

- -- Thursday, Oct. 30, "Shade Out Drugs" Day. Students are asked to wear 
their favorite sunglasses to show that drugs can be wiped out. The school 
will also handing out reminders to be safe on trick-or-treat night on this day.

- -- Friday, Oct. 31, "Cougars Say No To Drugs" Day. Students and staff are 
asked to wear blue and gray to show that cougar spirit.

Red Ribbon Week was created due to a series of events that happened in the 
mid-1980s.

In early 1985, the Drug Enforcement Agency sent Kiki Camarena to work 
undercover in Mexico. For weeks he lived among the drug cartel, gathering 
information and evidence. He was ready to wrap up his assignment when his 
identity was discovered. He was kidnapped and tortured to death.

To honor his memory, friends and neighbors wore red badges of satin. Then 
parents who had come together to fight the drug problem took him as their 
model, embracing his belief that one person can make a difference, and 
adopting his symbol - the red ribbon - as their own. From this grassroots 
beginning grew the National Family Partnership, a network of community 
groups united under one mission: to promote healthy, drug-free youth 
through prevention and education.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom