Last Updated on October 25, 2022 by Partners for a Drug Free Cass County / Cass County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition
Enrique “Kiki” Camarena was a DEA agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. In order to honor Kiki’s life, friends and neighbors began wearing red satin ribbons. Parents and youth then began wearing red ribbons in his honor and began forming coalitions in communities across America. The red ribbon signifies their dedication to creating awareness of the danger of drugs in their communities. The red ribbon signifies the desire to live a drug free life.
Partners for a Drug Free Cass County has hosted a Red Ribbon contest for years! Every year around September we start to organize this contest. Elementary school students will design a poster portraying their desire to stay drug free. In middle and Jr. High they will write an essay about why they want to remain drug free, or how they feel drugs would negatively effect their lives. And last year we added a Billboard contest for the High School students.
The winners are then chosen by a group of individuals and then shared with the schools. We then invite them to be honored at a traditional Red Ribbon Breakfast. The families enjoy donuts, juice, and milk. The kids get certificates, gift cards for Walmart, and other goodies each year. They are welcomed on stage and honored in front of their family and friends. It is a fun occasion. This year we have participation from almost every school in the county, with the exception of just a few.
Lewis Cass has been doing many things for Red Ribbon Week. Not only that, but they have done a lot leading up to the week! They are doing spirit days, and fundraising for a local nonprofit who works in Substance Abuse Prevention, Youth Services Alliance. They get very involved every year! One of the things they are doing is a fundraiser for Youth Services Alliance. They have fundraising among the students and staff. They always come up with a lot of neat things to honor the week and prevention awareness.
Pioneer, Caston, and Logansport Elementary schools are all doing spirit weeks this week with different themes for each day. Then Caston High School is doing a banner that they will have the students sign pledging to be drug free. Logansport High School is the only high school to submit entries for the billboard contest, but there are a lot of great options! Last year’s winner was also honored at the breakfast and had his billboard posted on Main St. here in Logansport. The plan is to do the same this year, winner will be announced this week.
Winners for the poster and essay contests are notified on Tuesday and the winners and their families are invited to go to the Red Ribbon Breakfast that will happen this weekend to wrap up the week.
In coordination with Red Ribbon Week the Cass County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Area 5, Youth Services Alliance, and Indiana Youth Institute has put together a Substance Abuse Panel for Thursday evening! This is free and open to the community. Those that RSVP will receive dinner during the panel discussion. Join us to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of substance abuse on the community. To reflect on how the community can respond to urgent needs and identify practical strategies for engaging in and promoting prevention resources for youth and supporting families impacted by Substance Abuse.
We invite the community to show their support for Red Ribbon Week. Please reach out on Partners for Drug Free Cass County or Cass County Substance Abuse Prevention Facebook pages to share what you or your organization is doing or find ways to get involved in this and other drug free initiatives in the county. We need community support to continue this fight against drugs.
SOURCE: News release from Partners for a Drug Free Cass County / Cass County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition