TIE A RIBBON AGAINST DRUGS

Trees around the city are a little more colorful, and it's not all
due to the change of seasons.

The Shelton Youth Service Bureau is participating in Red Ribbon Week
and tying ribbons around trees as a symbol of a drug free community.

"They're all over Shelton," said Sylvia Rodriquez, coordinator for
the bureau's youth-to-youth program. "All the parks have them."

Red Ribbon Week originated in 1985 to honor Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) Special Agent Enrique "KiKi" Camerini, who was
murdered in the line of duty while investigating a drug trafficking
case in Mexico in 1985.

Camerini was close to uncovering the identities of several drug
traffickers before he was kidnapped, tortured and killed.

According to the DEA's website, www.dea.gov, Red Ribbon Week is the
most far-reaching and well-known drug prevention event in the
country. An estimated 80 million people participate in the event.

Nancy Reagan began Red Ribbon Week in 1988. The Youth Service Bureau
has participated since 1989.

"It's an event that we feel is very worthwhile," said Gloria Kiss,
community alert program director for the bureau. "The participation
has been excellent."

Kiss said the goal of the program is to spur an age- appropriate
discussion in the classroom about drugs.

In addition to the ribbon tying, the bureau sponsors a
door-decorating contest in the elementary schools and a bulletin
board decorating contest at the Intermediate School.

The bureau has run the bulletin board contest at the Intermediate
School for the last six years.

Each year the bureau assigns a different theme to the contest, but
the actual designs and ideas come from the students.

"We give them ideas and let them run with it," Kiss said.

This year's slogan is "Walk away from drugs."

The bureau provides all the materials for the decorations to the
teachers. This year it provided footprint cutouts for students to
incorporate into their decorations.

Judging will take place next week. The schools with the most
participation in the decorating contests will receive an undisclosed
amount of money to purchase something for the schools.