Our Hispanic Outreach Coordinator Diana Alonso talked with third graders at Empire Elementary School on Tuesday. Students were encouraged to sign a pledge to be drug-free as part of the Red Ribbon Campaign.

The campaign organization shares that children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t have the conversations, yet only a quarter of teens report having these talks.

The 2019 campaign theme is “send a message, stay drug free.”

Sponsored by the National Family Partnership, the program functions on a strong partnership that embraces awareness, advocacy and resources, the red ribbon website shares.

Since its beginning in 1985, the red ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world, the NFP reports. In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities nationwide began wearing red ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America.

Learn more about the red ribbon program at the link below including how you can be involved, as well as how you could prepare for next year.

http://redribbon.org/theme/