RED RIBBON WEEK TO KICK OFF ON SQUARE

MOULTRIE -- Communities in Schools and Colquitt County's 21st
Century Community Learning Centers programs will sponsor their first
"Red Ribbon Week Kickoff Festival" on Monday, Oct. 23, at the
Colquitt County Courthouse Square.

Communities in Schools is a non-profit organization that focuses on
enriching the lives of all the youth in Colquitt County by
connecting them with all the resources of the mainstream community.
The Red Ribbon Week Kickoff Festival will highlight the
national campaign of "Say No to Drugs."

This year's festival showcases an author, Rex Torres, from
Tallahassee, Fla. A reading booth will be available for children to
participate in the second Reading Is FUN-damental (RIF) Distribution
in which each child, accompanied by a parent, will choose a free
book to take home with them.

In addition to the author, local afterschool programs will exhibit
their works; middle and high school students will solicit support
for a drug-free community at their "Kissing Booth" (Kidz Involved in
Saving the Streets); there will be a variety of activities for all
youth to enjoy, including face painting, fingernail painting, duck
pond, and drink toss, just to name a few.

There will also be a jelly bean count contest where all ages,
parents and students, can participate by guessing the number of
jelly beans in the jar. The winner at this booth receives a DVD
Player compliments of CIS and 21st CCLC.

Free hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and drink will also be available to
all participants of the Festival. Various desserts may be purchased
at the "Sweet Shoppe," which will consist of cakes, pies and cookies
baked by the parents of the afterschool students.

Some activities will require a ticket. Tickets for the festival are
25 cents each. No activity will cost more than one ticket. This
event begins promptly at 5 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m.

Academic success is one of the primary protective factors in
reducing substance abuse in youth, according to a CIS press release.
CIS's 21st Century Learning Centers afterschool programs focus on
promoting academic success and providing substance abuse
and violence prevention activities. The Southwest Georgia Mental
Health, Development Disorders and Addictive Disorders Prevention
division provides funding for these activities in the afterschool
program and to sponsor community events that are drug-free and
aimed at promoting drug prevention.

For more information on the festival, contact Olivia Ponder-Wallace
at (229) 985-9577.