This year, U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart recognized Red Ribbon Week (Oct. 26-30) in several new ways, including a sock drive for Soldiers and “Crazy Red Socks Day.”
The socks were part of a new initiative called “Sock It To Drugs,” introduced by this year’s Red Ribbon Week Coordinator, Joanna Ashley, in an effort to promote drug abuse awareness and prevent drug abuse in the community.
The program encouraged students, school counselors and Adolescent Substance Abuse Counseling Service to donate socks for Soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Garrison Department of Defense Dependent Schools collected about 500 pairs of socks, which will be shipped through the American Red Cross.
The 2009 Red Ribbon Week, sponsored by the garrison Army Substance Abuse Program, was themed “Drug-free is Key.”
“Our students wore red to signify their support for saying ‘No’ to drugs,” said Jim Hancock, elementary school counselor at Böblingen Elementary/Middle School. “Students participate in activities to help them see how drugs can impair an individual’s reaction times and coordination,” he added.
In addition, some middle school students at BEMS gave a presentation on the history of Red Ribbon Week to elementary school students. BEMS students also signed a pledge to be drug free and to make good choices.
Red Ribbon is not only important to the comunnity, but to each individual, Hancock added, and Red Ribbon Week programs help students to see the importance of the decisions they make.
Students participate in activities to help them see how drugs can impair an individual’s reaction time and coordination.