West Palm Beach, FL — Hanley Foundation is honoring National Substance Abuse Prevention Month (October) and Red Ribbon Week (October 23-31) with several events and awareness campaigns for school children across the state of Florida.
Hanley Foundation has been participating in Red Ribbon Week for the past eight years serving thousands of children, as schools throughout the state have participated in and promoted Hanley’s prevention programming. This year’s Red Ribbon Week theme is “Be kind to your mind. Live drug free.”
“Our prevention services, and particularly our Alcohol Literacy Challenge program, are integral parts of achieving our mission at Hanley Foundation,” said Director of Prevention, Diamond Howard. “This programming raises awareness about addiction, improves education on the subject, and works towards stopping addiction before it starts.”
During Red Ribbon Week, Hanley will continue to promote and facilitate a variety of their prevention programming, including Alcohol Literacy Challenge (ALC), and Botvin LifeSkills Training. Additionally, Hanley Foundation team members will be distributing wristbands imprinted with “Be kind to your mind. Live drug free,” to remind and encourage students.
“ALC helps students make positive decisions that affect brain development,” said Jennifer Moser, Peer Counselor at Glades Middle School. “My students learn about alcohol expectancies, brain science, social media influence, and marketing strategies by alcohol companies. It also allows class leaders to share their knowledge with their peers and empower them with knowledge.”
A kick-off event designed as a family-friendly, student engagement tailgate party will be held at Palm Beach Gardens High School on Friday, October 20, and Glades Middle School will also be hosting Hanley Foundation’s prevention activities and programming on October 25 to kick off the weeklong campaign. On a national level, Red Ribbon Week invites kids of all ages to ‘Take the Pledge’ to be and remain drug-free. More information about the history of Red Ribbon Week and more can be found HERE.
Since 2011, October has been designated as a time to highlight the importance of substance abuse prevention, as well as to acknowledge and support those who have been affected by addiction. Red Ribbon Week is an alcohol, tobacco, smoking, and other drug and violence prevention and awareness campaign.
About Hanley Foundation
Hanley Foundation envisions a world free of addiction, leading the way as the largest provider of grant-funded prevention education programs in the State of Florida. Hanley Foundation’s mission is to eliminate addiction through prevention, advocacy, treatment, and recovery support. In addition to offering recovery scholarships to those in need and facilitating trainings to identify the signs of substance misuse, the Foundation works to reduce stigma and inform policy through its advocacy efforts. Hanley Foundation educates, changes minds, and saves lives with its evidence-based programs proven through research to prevent and delay the use of alcohol and other drugs. For more information about Hanley Foundation, please visit hanleyfoundation.org or call 561-268-2355 and follow on LinkedIn and Twitter @hanleyfndn, and on Facebook and Instagram @HanleyFoundation.
