ANTI-DRUG MESSAGES FOCUS OF RED RIBBON ACTIVITIES

CENTERVILLE - When Rick Freeman asks his kids how many illegal drugs
are good for them, they have a ready answer: "As many as none," say
Sami and Josh.

The Freemans weren't alone in discussing the harms of drug abuse last
week.

Fathers walked hand in hand to school with their children at
Centerville Elementary School for an event held in conjunction with
Red Ribbon Week called "Dads Do Donuts not Drugs."

"We want the kids to talk to their dads about the dangers of using
drugs," said Lindsay Zesiger of the school PTA, which sponsored the
event. Dads were enthusiastically eating donuts and anxiously talking
about the dangers of drugs. Lists left on the tables to encourage
discussion suggested questions such as, "What are the consequences of
taking drugs?" or "Who can I talk to?" or "Who might try to make me
take drugs?"

At the Freeman's table, Sami shared what she's learned about drugs:
"They make you sick and hurt you a lot." Josh also knew the reason
they were there together: "To pledge to be drug free," he said.

Later in the day, students just down the road in Farmington at
Knowlton Elementary had made a similar pledge.

After writing their commitment to remain drug free on paper, they put
their promises in balloons and set them in flight.

"We hope one will fall down in front of someone who needs the
message," said one teacher. An e-mail address is included on each
message in hopes people will let the kids know how far their pledges
reached.

Another teacher said she emphasizes that drugs are bad, though people
with addictions aren't necessarily bad. Several children in her class
have already been impacted by drug use in their families, she said,
including one child whose parents are in jail.

Red Ribbon Week, which many schools conduct during an October week, is
the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention program and reaches
millions of school children each year.

Every school plans events to inform their students, from a drunken
driving crash reenactment at a high school to the balloon release and
the doughnut date.

"I want to support my child and make sure they never take drugs," said
Freeman as he breakfasted with his kids. "I want to make sure they
know they can be open and honest with their dad, whether about drugs
or anything else."