Pubdate: Tue, 01 June 1999
Source: Santa Barbara News-Press (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Santa Barbara News-Press
Contact:  http://www.newspress.com/
Author: Frank Hamilton
Note: Frank Hamilton is president of the Santa Barbara/SLO Chapter of MADD.

WORKING FOR A DRUG-FREE GRADUATION

The local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving wishes to thank the Santa
Barbara County Alcohol & Drug  Program, the Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Fighting Back Program, and the county's high schools for their efforts in
providing sober graduation programs in the county's high schools.

The county Alcohol & Drug Program is providing substantial grants to the
high schools in our county to enable  them to have meaningful sober
graduation programs this year. These programs have started in mid May and
will  continue through graduation depending on the individual school's
schedule. Fighting Back, through its on-campus Youth Service Specialists,
has helped the schools plan and implement programs that have the greatest
impact on the student body. The schools have provided the time for the
programs to be presented to the greatest number of students possible. The
students themselves are to be congratulated for their part in presenting and
participating in the programs.

The exciting part of this letter is what actually is happening.

Never before have so many of our county's high schools been able to present
such a variety of good sober  graduation programs in the same year. Several
schools are presenting "Take the Lead," a multimedia event with a very
strong message about teenage drug abuse with emphasis on driving under the
influence of alcohol and its consequences. Many schools are presenting mock
crashes. 

The California Highway Patrol, local fire departments, and Emergency Medical
Services are to be thanked for their participation. The Fatal Vision
goggles, which graphically show the user what happens to their vision at
various simulated blood-alcohol levels, are going to be demonstrated at all
the schools.

MADD will provide speakers for some schools, and representatives will also
be at all the schools to hand out information and gifts to remind the
students about the consequences of under age drinking, as well as DUI.
Parents can do their part by ensuring that any celebration they host for
their graduates are drug and alcohol free. We can teach all we want, but
setting the example is best.

We are living in a time when our school children's lives seem under threat
as never before. The citizens of our country should take heart that there
are strong efforts by all the above organizations to ensure that our
students have as safe a graduation as possible from the leading cause of
death of their deaths.

Thanks for a job well done.

Frank Hamilton is the president of the Santa Barbara/SLO Chapter of MADD.

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