SEEING RED FOR HEALTHIER LIVES

Red Ribbon Week Promotes Drug, Alcohol Awareness

The red ribbons popping up everywhere this week in the Winchester area
represent more than a message.

They're meant to start conversations -- between teachers and students,
parents and children, friends and neighbors -- about how to live safe
and drug-free lives.

Red Ribbon Week is an attention-getter, and it raises the awareness
that preventing drug and alcohol abuse is a community responsibility,
said Frederick County Public Schools' Safe and Drug Free Schools
Coordinator Jane Ann Thompson and her Winchester counterpart, Judy
McKiernan.

The Red Ribbon Campaign first appeared in 1985 at the behest of the
National Federation of Parents for Drug-Free Youth. The effort
followed the death of Drug Enforcement Agency agent Enrique "Kiki"
Camarena at the hands of drug traffickers.

The effort went nationwide in 1988.

The ribbons represent intolerance for drugs and a commitment to a
healthy lifestyle, according to information provided by
Winchester-based CLEAN Inc.

The nonprofit organization is encouraging all community members to
wear red ribbons this week, as well as don red clothing on Wednesday
to make that message clear.

However, the week is also a reaffirmation of the decisions made by
people who don't use alcohol or drugs, McKiernan said.

"[Those choices are] the thing to be striving for," Thompson
added.

Each woman's work is devoted to helping young people make healthy
choices -- the ideal celebrated by Red Ribbon Week.

They talk to children and teens, watch local and national trends, and
develop prevention and assistance programs based on such data.

And in all of their experience, they've found at least one essential
element to successfully teaching young people how to make healthy decisions.

"The biggest difference is parental involvement," Thompson
said.

If parental involvement isn't possible, then there should be positive
connections to other adults -- teachers, coaches, school custodians,
club or band leaders -- who say it isn't OK to use drugs and alcohol,
McKiernan and Thompson said.

The most resilient young people "are the kids that feel connected,"
Thompson said. They're less likely to try drugs are alcohol, and if
they do experiment, they are less likely to become substance abusers.

Different ages require different approaches. High school students may
act as if the ribbon campaign doesn't matter, but Thompson said she
encourages teachers to wear the ribbons, just so students know about
the week and start a conversation about it.

"They are watching," Thompson said.

Educating younger students about choices is fairly simple, McKiernan
said.

It can begin "as soon as you start handing them Tylenol," she said,
explaining that is the perfect time to talk about how drugs can help
or harm people.

Honesty is also key. "You just answer their questions," McKiernan
said.

It's also a good idea to start teaching people refusal skills while
still in their youngest years, Thompson said.

Such skills will allow kids to turn down unhealthy offers made by
friends, McKiernan said.

The ultimate goal of Thompson's and McKiernan's work, as well as Red
Ribbon Week, is making healthy choices attractive. When someone makes
a wrong choice, they must be able to see that they've crossed the line.

Red Ribbon Week's importance was not lost on Winchester Mayor
Elizabeth A. Minor and state Del. Beverly J. Sherwood, R-Frederick
County. Both women appeared at the CLEAN Inc. offices Monday to have
red ribbons pinned to their chests in honor of the campaign.

"I will wear this with pride," Minor said as she smoothed the red
satin that represents far more than a week's worth of effort.

Red Ribbon Week ends on Sunday.