RED RIBBON WEEK CELEBRATES 17TH YEAR

Stockton -- The Two Artists Stepped Back From The Wall, Simultaneously
Rested Their Chins On Their Hands And Seriously Eyed The Other Works That
Hung Beside Their Own Award-Winning Drawings On Saturday.

"That One Is Pretty Good," Said 14-Year-Old Brooke Shahan, An Eighth-Grader
At Commodore Skills School.

"Hmm, Hmm, Yeah," Said 13-Year-Old Parissa Taeb, Her Best Friend And Classmate.

Every Poster On The Wall Carried The Same Message: "Rule Your World, Make
The Drug-Free Choice."

Taeb's Poster -- Featuring A Girl Who Accepts Drugs And Then Regrets It --
Won First Place Among Seventh- And Eighth-Graders, And Shahan's Drawing --
Featuring A Girl Sitting On Top Of The World Surrounded By "Ghostbuster"
Circles Crossing Out Items Like Beer And Drugs -- Won Third In The Poster
Contest That Was Part Of Family Fun Day, Which Kicked Off The 17th Annual
Red Ribbon Celebration For San Joaquin County.

Sponsored By The County's Behavioral Health Services-Substance Abuse
Services-Prevention Services And Other Community Organizations, The
Weeklong Event Promotes An Alcohol-, Tobacco- And Drug-Free Message.

Red Ribbon Week, Celebrated This Week, Is The Nation's Largest Drug
Prevention Effort, And About 80 Million People Participate Annually,
According To The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration And The National
Family Partnership.

The Event Began Years Ago, When DEA Agent And Californian Kiki Camarena Was
Tortured And Murdered By Drug Traffickers In Mexico. Groups Working Against
The Destructive Spread Of Drugs Began Wearing Red Ribbons In Honor Of
Camarena And As A Visible Symbol Of Their Opposition To Drug Use.

"Young People Get Really Involved With Red Ribbon Through Schools, Through
The Programs That We Offer," Said Christiane Roceli, A Substance Abuse
Prevention Specialist With San Joaquin County Prevention Services And A Red
Ribbon Chairwoman. She Said She's Seen The Impact Of The Red Ribbon Message
In The Nine Years She's Been Involved With It.

"Young People Hear The Message, Especially If We Start Them Off Young, And
By The Time They're Teenagers, Where They Are Really Getting Tested With
The Peer Pressure, Getting Faced With Actual Substance In Their Face, It
Gives Them Something To Fall Back On, That It's OK To Be Drug-Free," She Said.

"At The Same Token, Those Who Have Used In The Past, Through
Experimentation, Curiosity, What Have You, It Also Reminds Them That It's
OK Not To Use. You May Have Used Once Before; We Don't Want You To Make
That Choice Again."

Because Of Construction At Sherwood Mall, Saturday's Family Fun Day Was
Held Downtown At The Gary And Janice Podesto Impact Teen Center. Besides
The Poster Contest, Family Day Included A Variety Of Activities, Booths And
Entertainment Acts, Including Local Youth Bands.

Other Red Ribbon Events Have Been Scheduled For This Week. Call 9 468- 05
For More Information.