STUDENTS WHO GO TO SPUDD CLUB KNOW IT'S COOL TO SAY NO TO DRUGS

John Blackburn has a following -- of 8- to 12-year-olds.

The Shawnee man, who has children attending Overland Park Elementary
School, has developed a club that is so popular with the pupils that they
spend most of the month asking about the next meeting. And they know it's
the fourth Friday of every other month.

"It's been a very special thing," said Blackburn, who founded and now
organizes the school's SPUDD (Students and Parents Understanding the
Dangers of Drugs) Club.

"It's been very rewarding for me to come into the school and have them say
'Hey, Mr. Blackburn!' How many parents have the opportunity to have so many
kids recognize them? By recognition, I've earned a platform with these
kids. For some, SPUDD Club is the highlight of their month."

Blackburn started the SPUDD Club in 1996. Wanting a few extra PTA
responsibilities, he decided to lead the ADDEPT Committee. The problem was,
no one knew what to do with the drug and alcohol committee, and no one was
really interested in figuring it out.

"I thought it was sad that in three to five years, no one had done anything
with ADDEPT," Blackburn said. "I told them I'd be willing to head that up.
I could come up with something."

Then the wheels started turning. Using his experience with the youth
ministry at First Baptist Church, he came up with a parent-led,
after-school program in which third-through sixth-graders meet once a month
to "rap" about drugs and alcohol.

Eighteen students showed up at the first meeting. They sat in the school's
gymnasium and talked about drugs and alcohol. There was a lot of excitement
in the topic.

But after discussing nearly every drug and alcohol issue possible,
Blackburn came up with other ways to spread the "Just Say No" message to
students. Through trial, error and time, the club blossomed.

Students now gather after school for a snack, a program and, if there is
time, games such as "Red Light/Green Light" and "Simon Says."

Membership is $5 and covers snacks and a club T-shirt.

At the last meeting, students were entertained by Bill Stutz, founder of
"Enjoy the Game," a program that promotes sportsmanship, fairness and fun
in competitive sports. But on this day, Stutz talked about his father, an
alcoholic who drank himself to death when Stutz was 13. His father was 48.

"It takes you down a path you don't want to go," he told the students.
"Will alcohol affect everyone? No, but the message is out there -- don't
get started."

Overland Park's PTA sponsors the club that attracts more than 80 youths
each meeting. Their budget started at $500 a year; now it tops $1,500 and
helps bring in well-known speakers such as Stutz; Tara Knott, an Olympic
weight lifter; and magician Jim Lysaght.

"I like it. It's fun," third-grader Emily Purcell said of the club. "I like
the games (the best) because I get to play 'Red Light/Green Light' and
'Simon Says.' "

Most of the students join because their friends do. Blackburn said once a
student starts the club, few drop out.

"This has touched and helped a lot of people," said sixth-grader Allison
Flynn, who is best friends with Blackburn's sixth-grade daughter, Alyssa.
"I've never missed a time."

Allison said she enjoys the speakers, especially learning about their
lives. She knows without a doubt that she would say "no" to drugs and
alcohol, if asked. Alyssa would say the same thing.

"My friends help me with decisions and that would be one of them," Alyssa said.

When school recesses in June, Blackburn, a minister of administration at
First Baptist Church in Shawnee, will say goodbye to the program that has
been his "pet project" for seven years. Alyssa, his youngest, will graduate
to middle school. His other children, Heidi, 15, and Brandon, 17, also went
through the program.

"It will be hard to let it go, to pass the torch at the end of the year,"
he said. "I want to pass it on and still have it go on."

In 2003-04, mothers Vicki Purcell and Denise Peery will lead the club that
Blackburn said supplements the DARE program. Blackburn's wife, Beth, a
paraprofessional at Overland Park Elementary, also may help out.

"It (SPUDD Club) is very important obviously, but to me the real importance
is it's a relationship builder," said Overland Park Principal Kathleen Murphy.

"It really is a chance for children to build relationships with a
representative parent. The message those adults give them is power. They're
building relationships by feeding them and building relationships now (by
playing games and) having fun.

"We won't save everyone from drugs, but I know we will be the reason why
some make a positive decision for themselves."

Blackburn also knows he won't influence all of them. But for at least four
years he has had their attention and has planted a seed for future decisions.

"I just love the fact that I'm making a difference in the lives of these
kids," he said.