RED RIBBONS AND LIFE

You're going to see a lot of red ribbons on lapels, shirts and blouses
around the South Coast this week. They symbolize a national movement to
convince children of the value of living a sober life.

Red Ribbon Week started in the mid-1980s following the murder of a drug
enforcement officer in Texas. The idea is to encourage communities to get
solidly behind the effort to teach young people that drug use is a losing
proposition. Red Ribbon Week also is a chance to focus attention on the
efforts of local government, various agencies and organizations, and
individuals in a highly personalized war on drugs within specific
geographic regions.

Local events of Red Ribbon Week are coordinated by the Fighting Back
Community Initiative, a program under the auspices of the Council on
Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and South Coast Rotary Clubs. The special week
of youth activities has been occurring here every year for more than a
decade. This year, Fighting Back hopes to see more than 30,000 red ribbons
being worn by local residents.

The educational aspects of Red Ribbon Week also are in full swing. The
anti-drug message is being delivered this week at all grade levels
throughout the South Coast. On Sunday, beginning at 2:30 p.m., the public
is invited to the Mural Room at the County Courthouse in downtown Santa
Barbara for a special ceremony at which poster contest winners will be
recognized and receive their awards. The best of the posters will be
included in Fighting Back's 2001 calendar, which will be sold at a later
date. This year's overall winner is Alison Woliver, a sixth-grader at Santa
Barbara Christian School. Awards also will be presented for winners from
kindergarten through the eighth grade.

These are all integral parts of the overall Red Ribbon Week celebration, as
are the flags flying along State Street. When you see the flags or the
ribbons being worn by thousands of young people, think of the need for and
the impact of a community pulling together to defeat substance abuse.

There are so many things a child needs to learn, but one of the most
important lessons is how to live a clean and sober life. Red Ribbon Week
has become a reliable, annual reminder of that.