DAY OF FUN PLANNED FOR RED RIBBON WEEK

For the past four years, a local facility for at-risk teens has been
growing to accommodate adolescents in the Walker County area with
anger management, drug abuse and life skills issues. In an effort to
reach out to as many as possible, New Life Outreach Adolescent
Treatment Center will host a special event for Red Ribbon Week on Saturday.

"This year, we are taking Red Ribbon Week to the next level," said
director Dundra Hollins. "Red Ribbon Week provides the community,
youth and their parents to stop and listen and learn something about
drugs and alcohol. Many of our children are exposed to drugs and
alcohol every day, and the pressure on kids to fit in plays a vital
role in that. It is important for our kids to understand they can be
the wonderful individuals they are without conforming to negative
influences."

This week, New Life is distributing 8,000 pieces of literature in
schools in four counties on drugs and alcohol appropriate for people
of all ages. On Oct. 23, 97.9 the Boxx radio station kicked off the
week with a remote show from the Huntsville center, encouraging teens
to return Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the extravaganza.

On Saturday, teens, parents and community members are encouraged to
attend and view a 2004-05 fashion show, listen to guest speakers, play
games, win prizes and take part in a positive event that might change
their lives.

"The No. 1 reason a lot of our teens turn to drugs and alcohol is
boredom," Hollins explained. "There's a lot of internal peer pressure,
and a lot of times, they feel like this is what they have to do to be
part of what's going on."

By hosting an event for Red Ribbon Week, Hollins said New Life will
have the opportunity to educate and entertain, proving to participants
that they can spend the large part of a day without the influence of
drugs and alcohol.

"If nobody else talks about it all year, they will talk about it this
week," Hollins said. "The theme this year is, 'I've got better things
to do than drugs.'"

Planned activities include educational booths sponsored by the U.S.
Marine Corps, Job Corps and others; a scavenger hunt for 50 famous
people who have died from drug abuse. Their bios and information will
be located around the facility grounds to be collected by
participants; a free-style contest hosted by Seven-Figure
Entertainment in which winners will receive a trophy, CD players or
$100 in gift certificates for music; and an essay contest on "why you
shouldn't do drugs" for youths of all ages in which the winner will
receive a $50 savings bond from First National Bank.

Younger children are encouraged to submit an original drawing with the
same theme and have a chance to win a family pass from Chuck-e-Cheese,
Celebration Station or a number of other prizes. All essays and
drawings are due at the New Life center by Thursday, and winners will
be announced Saturday.

A raffle will also highlight the day, and for $2, anyone can have a
chance to win one of 10 prizes such as a color television, gift
baskets, gift certificates to local stores and restaurants and the
biggest one of all, a week's vacation at Piney Shores Resort.

"We are expecting kids from Lufkin, Montgomery County, Crockett,
everywhere," Hollins said. "The key to New Life's success is
networking with surrounding counties, having a good, strong staff,
being grateful for the funding sources we have and utilizing them to
the best of our ability. I believe we have a great program, and
although we are small in numbers, we cover a lot of territory."

New Life is a state licensed program which provides outpatient
adolescent treatment counseling, anger management, abstinence
education, parenting, individual and group counseling and many other
services. The agency is a clinical training institute and provides
hours for continuing education to people seeking hours for the
clinical dependency program and LPC.