ELKS HOST SPECIAL D.A.R.E. DAY EVENT

The Medford Elks Lodge #915 is proud to announce that two winners were
chosen to represent Medford from the many entries received by the
Massachusetts State Elks Association for its D.A.R.E. essay contest.
Paul Doheney and Brittany Blasetti, both of Saint Joseph's School and both
eighth-grade students, won a bike and a helmet for their essays. They will
receive local awards at the Elks D.A.R.E. Day celebration on Saturday, June
4 at the McGlynn Middle School.

The following are their essays: Why I'm Drug-Free I am 13. I sing, dance
and hang out with my friends. Do I sound like I have enough time
for drugs? No. I am a drug-free-teen because I know they kill. They ruin
your lives, not your teeth, make you smell bad and make you delusional.

I don't want that, I want to live my life to the fullest. My friends and
family matter to me. Why would I want to give that up for marijuana? Once
you think about it, this decision is quite smart. So many young kids do
drugs because they are bored or "Everyone is doing it." Peer pressure is
also a big role model on this.

Almost every kid can be pressured to do something he or she feels is not
safe. It takes an intelligent and common-sensed being to stand up and take
action and firmly say "no."

I want to be that person. I want to be the girl that people will remember
as a leader, not a follower. You have the right to choose what you want to
do with your life, no one should choose for you. This is why I am a
drug-free child. Why I am Drug-Free Drugs ruin the lives of many people,
old and young; but drugs don't just ruin lives, it kills them as well. It
starts to control your life just by inhaling it once and makes you keep
wanting more.

Even the intelligent people, if they take it, will deteriorate from it.
Then the more you take the more you want, so people's lives then become
all about getting more no matter what the cost.

What makes it sadder is that some people take it because their stressed,
depressed or think it's cool, but it makes their life worse and no one is
immune to its effects.

I am drug-free for the main reason that I don't want to through my life
away because I want to live my life to the fullest and I want to
contribute my part to the world.

Another important reason is that I wouldn't want to disappoint my parents
who have raised me and gave me so much. Also I want to grow up and have a
family and I would not want to be addicted to drugs because I wouldn't
want to ruin my families lives.

Also because I've been told through out my life not to do drugs and I've
been told of their harmful effects and I wouldn't want that to happen to
me. Another important reason is because I wouldn't want to hurt God. He
put me on earth and loves me beyond imagination and I wouldn't want to
hurt Him.