I Believe In Me/Wear Red Day”.
to be Drug Free/Super Hero Day” .
days during Red Ribbon Week at Dierks Schools.
days during Red Ribbon Week at Dierks Schools.
Rachel, with ‘Kinder Kiddos”.
Judy Cassady and Nancy Hartness participate in “Twinkie Day” at Mineral Springs High School.
History of Red Ribbon Week
Parents, schools and organizations
across the country
go to great lengths to share the
message that drugs can be dangerous.
One event that draws
great interest is Red Ribbon
Week, which serves as a vehicle
for communities and individuals
to take a stand for children
through a commitment to drug
prevention and education. Each
participant makes a personal
commitment to live drug-free
with the ultimate goal of a drugfree
America. The campaign is a
week-long effort in which people
at work, home or school wear a
red ribbon to raise awareness
about drug prevention. The red
ribbon is a message to others
that drugs are harmful and that
the person wearing a ribbon is
living drug-free.
Red Ribbon Week was initiated
to honor a fallen Drug
Enforcement Administration
Special Agent by the name of
Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Camarena
worked his way through
college, served in the Marines
and became a police officer.
When he decided to join the
DEA, his mother tried to talk
him out it. “I can’t not do this,”
he told her. “I’m only one person,
but I want to make a difference.”
The DEA sent Camarena to
work undercover in Mexico investigating
a major drug cartel
believed to include officers in
the Mexican army, police and
government. Camarena was
believed to be ambushed at his
car and later tortured to death.
Weeks after his death, friends
launched Camarena Clubs in Camarena’s
hometown and around
California to pay homage to a
brave man who lost his life fighting
in the war on drugs. Eventually
these clubs turned into the
Red Ribbon Week campaign.
Young children may not be
ready to hear Camarena’s full
story, but they may be receptive
to other stories about the dangers
of drugs. School assemblies
during Red Ribbon Week are can
bring this message to students.
Frequently school administrators
will have a younger speaker
who is not a faculty member
address the consequences of
doing drugs. This person may
have had experiences with drugs
and is now recovered and wants
to share his or her story.
During Red Ribbon Week,
parents and school administrators
can encourage children to
speak about the perils of drug
use and wear their own ribbons
proudly. Organizations, such as
Boy Scouts of America and the
Girl Scouts, can focus on lessons
about drug awareness and the
effects of drugs on the body.
Parents can show solidarity by
also wearing their own red ribbons
during the week.
