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Vernon County youth task force: taking red ribbon week into the community
Wednesday's meeting of the Vernon County Youth Task Force reviewed plans for Red Ribbon Week, Oct. 24-28.
"One of the greatest concerns identified by students and adults is drug use, particularly the increase of prescription drug abuse," said VCYTF chair, Dr. Trisha Bridgewater. "Last month, Pastor Steve Russ of First Baptist, who is also a pharmacist, led a really powerful discussion about how so many homes have prescription medications which are unsecured which make an easy source for those abusing drugs."
The youth task force agreed and so made prescription drug abuse the focus of this year's Red Ribbon Week.
In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, in 1985, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction cause by drugs in America. This year's national theme is, "YOLO (you only live once). Be drug free."
The VCYTF challenged the committee planning Red Ribbon Week to find a way to move this issue from being in school only and connect with the Nevada community.
A committee of two youth -- Shanee Phillips and Clay Landoll -- along with two adults -- Jennifer Thomas, 28th Judicial Circuit juvenile officer and Tommy Geeding, counselor with Nevada R-5 high school, formed the committee which prepared and presented extensive plans for the week with a focus on Wed., Oct. 26. Phillips and Landoll serve as the student representatives from the school's Youth Enrichment Services group. The group is receiving help from the district's assistant superintendent, Jodie McNeley.
"We want to make prescription drug abuse a county issue by making Wednesday, Oct. 26, 'Everybody Wear Red Day'," said Thomas.
Thomas passed out copies of their design for a red T-shirt, an order form and cover letter to be sent to individuals, groups and businesses, asking them to pre-purchase the shirts at a cost of $7 each as well as challenging them to wear red on Wednesday, Oct. 26.
"We want to get into contact with the community but no one has to buy our shirt and we're not selling them to make a profit, just as a way to draw attention to our message," said Landoll.
Phillips added, "We're going to have a Facebook page and post stuff during October but we'll make Wednesday of Red Ribbon Week a Facebook Live Event. We will use a video camera and we hope to go live at several schools in the district. At noon, we will go live again out in the community and after school, go out into the community again."
"We will have a few shirts with us so when we go out and find someone not wearing red, we'll offer them a free shirt if they'll let us put them on our live event," explained Thomas. "Healthy Nevada has kindly offered their monthly radio time and we're planning to have Dr. Bridgewater lead a discussion on the radio, maybe with Pastor Russ and Nevada CIT Officer Burkhead about prescription drug abuse. We're also planning to have students produce promotional and educational videos and upload them and we'll make radio, TV and cable spots."
Thomas hopes to arrange a drug take-back day for the community during Red Ribbon Week, possibly on the 26th.
"For many years now, across the country, the Elks have taken on the task of supplying area schools with the actual red ribbons we use but the cost of them has recently taken a jump," said Geeding. "So we agreed to switch to stickers and they are going to provide 15,000 of them, enough for each student in the county to have a new one for each of the five days of Red Ribbon Week."
It was announced the Mental Health Committee of Healthy Nevada has plans to produce and sell window clings supporting Red Ribbon Week and will try to get as many businesses around the square to display these and other anti-drug messages.
While regular monthly meetings are held at the Franklin Norman City/county Community Center, the 18 people on hand learned the Oct. 26 meeting would be held at the Nevada High School.
"We will be meeting with students to talk about their concerns and how our community can assist them," said Bridgewater. "Part of our meeting may be included in the morning Facebook Live event at the high school."
Following that meeting, there will be the signing at the Vernon County Courthouse of a proclamation about Red Ribbon Week and encouraging the public to take seriously the problem of prescription drug abuse.
Bridgewater announced Cottey College will host a meeting with representatives of all Vernon County schools, speaking with them about their concerns and the topics they would like to see the VCYTF focus on.
"By doing this we can live up to our name and really be the Vernon County Youth Task Force," Bridgewater said.
Plans were also announced about the city of Nevada hosting a hayride and bonfire on the evening of Friday, Oct. 28 for all Vernon County students, to be held at Marmaduke Park.
Pastor and pharmacist, Steve Russ, spoke about Missouri being the only state in the nation, which does not have a prescription drug monitoring program.
"Lots of people are treated by more than one doctor," said Russ. "You may have your primary care physician and one or more specialists you are seeing. And that's the way the system is supposed to work but that often means, that unless you tell them, they don't know what medications each has prescribed for you."
Russ continued, "When the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, that opens the door to all sorts of drug problems ranging from unintended side effects to giving drug abusers an easy source."
Because of continued resistance by some in the state legislature, individual communities and areas in the state are trying to create their own voluntary networks. The St. Louis metro area has recently established just such a network. VCYTF briefly discussed being a catalyst for the formation of such a network in Vernon County.
Geeding announced that he and Bridgewater, along with students Clay Landoll, Hannah Bond, and Rylie Wingert, would be attending the Youth Leadership Summit being held in Columbia and organized by U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler on Oct. 5.
"This event is by special invitation only," said Geeding. "Nevada High School hosted Rep. Hartzler earlier this year and apparently, when she told us she was impressed by the level of questions she received from the students, I guess this invitation shows she meant it."
Bridgewater paid tribute to the four Nevada R-5 students on hand, Phillips and Landoll, along with Minnie Goodbody and Hannah Bond.
Said Bridgewater, "Whenever I hear people write-off the youth of today, I tell them about young people like these and others across the county and say, 'In their hands, the future looks bright.'"