Rotary Hosts Successful Poster Day for Drug Awareness

 
The artistic juices were flowing at the Stoneham Middle School on Wednesday, October 21 for the Rotary Club of Stoneham’s first Poster Day for Drug Awareness. Over 60 students, mainly from the middle school but also some younger and older drop-ins, attended and created posters using art supplies provided by the Rotary Club. The posters represented the students’ expression of the theme of this year’s Red Ribbon Week for drug awareness, “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free!” After their posters were made, the starving artists were treated to pizza by the Rotary Club.

Red Ribbon Week is an annual event for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs. Started by the National Family Partnership, Red Ribbon Week is the oldest and largest public awareness drug prevention program in the nation.

Locally, Red Ribbon Week (October 25-31) is organized by the Stoneham Substance Abuse Coalition (SSAC). The posters were displayed at the Red Ribbon Week Vigil on Sunday, October 25 on the Town Common. They will be delivered back to the Middle School where the students can pick their posters up if they wish to keep them.

“We are encouraged by the great turnout of young artists and their enthusiasm both for participating in community activities and for encouraging their friends and families to resist the temptation to use drugs,” said Dennis O’Hara, Stoneham Rotary spokesman. “The SSAC tells us that early education and awareness are two of the most important factors in preventing drug abuse in young people.”

To see the photos from the poster event, visit the Stoneham Rotary Facebook page at facebook.com/StonehamRotaryClub.