Pubdate: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 Source: Santa Barbara News-Press (CA) Copyright: 1999 Santa Barbara News-Press Contact: http://www.newspress.com/ Author: Shelly Escalante, News-Press Correspondent RED RIBBONS A DRUG-FREE RALLYING CALL They will appear on car antennas, school fences and pinned to the shirts of students in and around Santa Barbara this week, but the coordinators of Red Ribbon Week hope that people will stop and think about what that piece of red means. The red ribbons symbolize a commitment to be "drug-free and proud,'' according to organizers. They honor a drug enforcement officer killed in the line of duty in 1985. Since then, students and anti-drug and alcohol organizations nationwide have hosted Red Ribbon Week, along with events designed to encourage a drug-free lifestyle. School programs continue the push after the ribbons are gone. "It's a full, holistic approach," said Jenna Hayden, special events and media coordinator for Fighting Back, the group sponsoring the event. "One of the important things about Red Ribbon Week is that it's more than just handing a kid a ribbon. That's not going to make a lifestyle change if they are already taking drugs." A poster contest is the kick-off to the week, which officially starts Saturday and wraps up Oct. 30 with an evening of swing dancing, skateboarding and a haunted house at Ortega Park, the Downtown Carrillo Recreation Gymnasium and BeBop Burgers. Each site will have its own theme. The annual Red Ribbon car wash fund-raiser sponsored by Friday Night Live and Club Live will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Fairview Center, Santa Barbara High School, Bodekker Chevron and El Puente School. The clubs are high school and junior high school organizations that promote drug prevention and sober activity on campuses nationwide. Students wash cars and tie red ribbons onto the antennas; for cars it's $5, $7 for trucks. Lindsay Bailey, coordinator of the clubs hopes to have a lot of helping hands volunteer from each of 11 Santa Barbara campuses participating in this year's car wash. "I'm hoping that we'll have 20 kids from each school at the five different car wash sites. Thirty to 40 kids at each site would be great," Bailey said, adding that Club Live's junior high school meetings can sometimes draw about 100 students. And to show that a drug-free lifestyle is not just for children, a Red Ribbon luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort. The guest speaker at this year's luncheon will be Sparky Anderson, past manager for the Cincinnati Reds. The luncheon raises funds through an auction coordinated by seven South Coast Rotary Clubs, according to Hayden. This year's Red Ribbon campaign, Hayden said, will focus more on adult drug prevention education by launching an advertising campaign aimed at encouraging parents to be good role models. The campaign, sponsored by the Rotary Clubs and coordinated by Fighting Back, will include banners and flags along State Street. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D