ELKS ORDERS WILL MARK RED RIBBON WEEK WITH "HANDS ACROSS THE BORDER'

Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana Elks will host "Hands Across the Border" at 3
p.m. Sunday at Three States, 10 miles east of Atlanta, Texas, on Texas
Highway 77.

Nearly 1.2 million Benevolent Protective Orders of Elks across the United
States along with their families, children, friends and anyone else
interested will be joining hands across streets and city, county and state
lines as they kick off "Red Ribbon Week."

Lee Hampton, a spokesman for the Elks, said Red Ribbon Week came about as a
result of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
agent and his fight against illegal drugs.

Camarena was an undercover agent sent to Mexico to investigate a major drug
cartel that was believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police
and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, while on his way to meet his wife for
lunch, five men appeared at the 37-year-old agent's side and shoved him
into a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave.
He had been tortured to death.

In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends
and neighbors began to wear red satin badges. Parents who were sick of the
destruction from alcohol and other drugs began forming coalitions. Some of
these coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that
one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol
of his memory, the red ribbon.

"The National Family Partnership organized the first Red Ribbon Campaign in
1988," Hampton said. "Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of
U.S. children."

In 1997, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse began committing
resources to ensure the continuation of the Red Ribbon Campaign in Texas,
as well as the hopes and beliefs of this grassroots effort to protect
children from the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.

"We have all heard the statistics about how frequently American youth are
injured or killed in incidents involving the use of illegal drugs," Hampton
said. "Every day, eight youths are killed in accidents due to drugs and
alcohol. There is an increase in the number of youths experimenting with
drugs each year. Every day, more than 1,000 youths visit an emergency room
due to violence. We all have asked what we can do to help and this is our
opportunity."

The event is open to all people regardless of race or religion as well as
those who are not Elks. The community is asked to come out and show its
support in the fight against drugs and is invited to share in the food,
fellowship and fun. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served around 1:30 p.m.

"America has had a terrible crisis this past month and we are still in
sympathy and mourning for all of the lives that were wasted. However, the
war against drugs on the youth of America must go on," Hampton said.