RED RIBBON WEEK

OCTOBER 29 - NOVEMBER 2, 2007

Red Ribbon Week is the most far-reaching and well-known drug prevention event in America. The National Family Partnership, which coordinates Red Ribbon activities nationally, estimates that over 80 million Americans participate in Red Ribbon events.
 

The Story Behind The Symbol

	Enrique "Kiki" Camarena grew up in a dirt-floored house with hopes and dreams of making a  difference.    Camarena worked his way through college, served in the Marines and became a police officer. When he decided to join the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out it.  "I can't not do this," he told her. "I'm only one person, but I want to make a difference."  The DEA sent Camarena to work undercover in Mexico investigating a major drug cartel believed to include officers in the Mexican army, police and government. On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch.  Five men appeared at the agent's side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena's body was found in a shallow grave. He had been tortured to death.  In honor of Camarena's memory and his battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began to wear red badges of satin. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena's memory, the red ribbon.  The National Family Partnership organized the first Nationwide Red Ribbon Campaign in 1988. Since that time, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children. In 1997, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse began committing resources to ensure the continuation of the Red Ribbon Campaign in Texas, as well as the hopes and beliefs behind this grassroots effort to protect children from the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.
Belvidere South Middle School Celebrates RED RIBBON WEEK! "100% Me Drug Free" RED RIBBON WEEK 2007 Monday, Oct. 29 • Red Ribbon passed out to everyone. • Red Ribbons to the staff. Tuesday, Oct. 30 • Remember to stop by the library and take a guess-one guess per student. • Pencils will be passed out to the students during homebase. • Staff continue to wear your RED RIBBON. Wednesday, Oct.31 • Wear Red to show your support against drug/alcohol use. • Homebase teachers need to tally up the number of students wearing red and return the information to Mrs. Palmer by the end of the day. • The class with the most red will be given a prize on Friday. Thursday, Nov. 1 • Wear your favorite team shirt day. • Receive another coupon from your teacher and place it in the box in the library. • Staff continue to wear your red ribbon. Friday, Nov. 2 • Purple and Gold day. Wear your favorite Buc outfit. • Again get a coupon from your teacher and place it in the box in the library. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT DURING RED RIBBON WEEK at BSMS