I really can’t believe that after my first time around — 14 years ago, I’m back at doing 1st grade activities.
This year I volunteered to be the room parent for my daughter’s first grade class. One of my many duties as room parent is to partner with the teacher in creating the Red Ribbon Week® Door. That is, decorating the outside of the classroom door in a fun and inventive way to express the theme of for the year. To add pressure, a winning class will be selected from each grade level for which they will get an award. Usually, pizza, ice cream or a popcorn party. And for a bunch of 1st graders, that’s heaven!
I must admit, prior to this I had no clue what Red Ribbon Week® was. So just in case you are reading this and you’re as clueless as I was, let me give you a quick masterclass.
WHAT IS RED RIBBON WEEK® AND HOW IT CAME ABOUT?
Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent whose 1985 murder angered parents and youth in communities across the country. In response, they started wearing red ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the effects of drugs in America. Parents, sick of the devastation caused by alcohol and other drugs, began forming coalitions. Some of these coalitions took Camarena as their muse, embracing his belief that ‘one person can make a difference’, as well as adopting the symbol of his memory — the red ribbon.
One such coalition is the National Family Partnership, formerly the National Federation of Parents for Drug Free Youth. In 1988, NFP sponsored the first annual National Red Ribbon Campaign™ Celebration. Today, the Red Ribbon serves as a catalyst to mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug awareness activities, advocacy, and providing resources. Since its start, the campaign has reached millions of children and families. Every year since, Enrique Camarena’s message of hope is delivered by the National Family Partnership (NFP) and its network, through the National Red Ribbon Campaign™.
RED RIBBON WEEK® 2019
Red Ribbon Week® 2019 is celebrated annually October 23rd to 31st, and is the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention awareness program. Red Ribbon Week® reaches over 80 million people each year throughout the United States and the theme for this year is “Send A Message. Stay Drug Free.” The 2019 theme was created by Izabella Ware, a student from Griswold Middle School in Griswold, CT, and is a call to action to speak out in support of healthy choices. It is also a reminder that by staying drug free, you are sending a ‘know your value’ message to yourself and others, about your overall health, your community and your future.
Research shows that, children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. For this Red Ribbon Week, be part of the conversation by taking the opportunity to talk your child and help drive awareness of living a drug free life.
As for my daughter’s 1st grade class door, as you can see it is all complete. Be sure to let me know what you think. I will also update this post when the results for the winning door is in.
Is your child’s school or organization celebrating Red Ribbon Week?
