Red Ribbon Week
A lot of people know that Red Ribbon Week is a week that celebrates drug prevention and is a week where people can show their support for this campaign. This celebration is also considered to be one of the oldest in the world for this cause and is celebrated every year in the U.S. in October. This celebration is also one that not only celebrates a drug free community but also one that is free of alcohol, tobacco and violence.
This celebration called Red Ribbon Week is actually an event that was started after a DEA agent was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in 1985. A week after such a gruesome incident occurred, the people in the hometown of the slain DEA agent wore red ribbons to help honor the drug enforcement officer. This soon became the symbol for drug prevention and for the annual tradition that is now called the Red Ribbon Celebration. The use of the red ribbon as a symbol for this event and for showing support against drug abuse and drug addiction first began as a statewide campaign in California in 1985 which soon became a national anti-drug campaign in 1988 with the help of then-first lady Nancy Reagan.
Today, the celebration of Red Ribbon Week continues with schools all across America encouraging their students to wear the symbolic red ribbon on their chests for the whole last week of October. This is not only in commemoration of the DEA officer who sacrificed his life in the name of drug abuse prevention but also in the name of the people whose lives will be saved if they are made to be aware of the dangers of drugs, smoking and alcohol. The Red Ribbon Coalition helps with setting up these events in different school sites every year and provides the volunteers and school coordinators with training for the campaign.
Book Fabian today to speak at your Red Ribbon week school assembly.
