Vanessa Flores
White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs

This year during Red Ribbon Week, Army Substance Abuse Coordinator, Amanda A. Carreras, held a food drive with White Sands Schools. On Nov. 8, the canned goods were donated to Jardin de los Ninos, a non-profit in Las Cruces that offers services to homeless and near-homeless children, from the ages of six weeks to 10 years and their families.

Red Ribbon Week at WSMR goes beyond drug prevention and gives back to the community

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. (Nov. 23, 2021) - The Army Substance Abuse Program led Red Ribbon Week activities during the last week of October at White Sands Missile Range, participating in the most effective drug abuse prevention campaign spearheaded by the National Family Partnership.

The Red Ribbon Campaign began in 1988, as parents took it upon themselves to teach their community and children about drug prevention. Today, the National Family Partnership leads and supports the nation’s families and communities in educating youth and encouraging participation in drug prevention activities.

This year for Red Ribbon Week, Army Substance Abuse Coordinator, Amanda A. Carreras, brought in McGruff the Crime Dog with help from the Las Cruces Police Department. During the week, he made an appearance at White Sands Schools and other locations at White Sands Missile Range.

“McGruff stands for anti-bullying, anti-drugs, and his character is known to increase crime awareness and personal safety. His catchphrase, 'Take a Bite Out of Crime’ is well known throughout the world,” said Carreras. “In the playground, he was giving high fives to kids, and his presence is helping us teach this new generation about drug prevention.”

As a part of the week’s activities, kids were given Red Ribbon Packets that contained a red ribbon, a pencil, an eraser, and sunglasses as a reminder of their 'bright futures.' By giving the kids items to take home and speaking with them in their classes, Carreras hopes that open communication about drug prevention can begin with their parents once they got home.

"We had the school-age center kids stamp their red hands onto a poster and sign their name, taking the pledge to live a safe and healthy life,” said Carreras. "We then put the responsibility on the parents and community to take the pledge too by simply liking our pledge post on Facebook.”

The older kids at the Teen Center were encouraged to depict what being drug-free and what Red Ribbon means to them. They shared their thoughts on a large wall of white paper with logos of the drug-free campaign. The older kids also participated in an essay contest. The essay prompts were thought-provoking and encouraged the kids to think about what they would do if they ever faced a situation involving drugs.

Another aspect of the weeklong events included giving back to the community. On Wednesday, the theme of the day was, “We Can Say No to Drugs.” Kids were asked to bring in canned foods to donate to the local organization, Jardin de los Ninos. The non-profit provides early childhood education, therapeutic intervention, and comprehensive services to homeless and near-homeless children, from the ages of six weeks to 10 years, and their families in Las Cruces.

"We thought one vehicle would be enough to pick up all of the donations, but we ended up having to take several vehicles to the school to get everything. As the holidays approach, we hope that our donations will help out families that need some help to get through the holidays," said Carreras.

On Nov. 8, Carreras presented the food to the grateful organization and learned the donations would support their on-site emergency food pantry and food baskets.