AWARENESS WEEK STARTS SUNDAY

Volunteers in Cape Girardeau schools hope to attract more volunteers for substance abuse prevention programs with a weeklong awareness campaign.

Students from kindergarten through high school have participated in a variety of activities to raise awareness about substance abuse and prevention. The week begins Sunday.

Terrie Welch, coordinator of the week, said, "We have a lot of positive prevention programs going on in Cape schools, but we always need more volunteers."

Each school has substance abuse prevention teams, called ASAP, that plan activities for students, teachers and parents. The teams work together for this week of projects.

Among other prevention programs in place are Project Charlie, DARE, SADD, Just Say No clubs and Adept.

"Our goal is to make the Cape Girardeau community aware that there is indeed a problem in our town concerning alcohol and other drugs," Welch said. "We also want to make known that there are some positive prevention programs in our schools that need the support of local people."

Students in grades kindergarten through six participated in a poster contest. The four winning posters are being used to develop billboards, donated by St. Francis Medical Center. The billboards should be up this week or next and will remain up for 30 days.

The remaining posters will be distributed for businesses to display.

Students in seventh- through ninth-grade participated in an essay contest with the theme "We have a dream to be drug free." The winning essay is published today in the Southeast Missourian.

Students from Central High School and Notre Dame High School wrote television public service announcements, which are being produced by students at Southeast Missouri State University. The PSAs will be aired on local television and cable stations.

Students participating in the activities are receiving T-shirts, donated by Southeast Missouri Hospital and RV Productions.

WINNING ESSAY

By Natalie Watts

seventh-grade

St. Vincent de Paul School

Daughter of Jack and Barbara Watts

We Have a Dream to Be Drug Free

My dream to be drug free is a large one. I don't know if it will ever be accomplished within my life time. I hope to see the world drug free and we need to begin with one person and just keep building and building it up, so why not start with me.

We could have alternatives to drugs such as music, jobs, or just being with your friends. I think that it is time we start focusing on the people that do not use drugs instead of trying to convert the people that do use drugs. We should start in kindergarten and keep it up until they graduate high school. We should continue with programs like Project Charlie, DARE, and Adept. We should also get people using drugs or smoking off TV and movies so kids do not pick it up off TV and movies. Them we should punish those who do use or sell drugs with harder punishment than what they get now. We should start with one person, so why not start with me.