By Mike Pettinella
Students from Batavia High and Notre Dame participated in “Project Sticker Shock” this morning to kick off Red Ribbon Week, the annual end-of-October alcohol, tobacco, and other drug and violence prevention awareness campaign.
Red Ribbon Week began in 1985 as a tribute to Enrique Camarena, a fallen U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency special agent. According to the DEA, it is the nation’s largest and longest-running drug awareness and prevention program.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” said ND sophomore Jack Weddle as he placed warning stickers on multi-packs of beer and hard seltzer at Tops Friendly Market in Batavia.
He was joined by ND senior Greg Narburgh and members of the ATOP (All Types of People) social club from Batavia High. The exercise was supervised by Carol Nicometo and Shellye Dale-Hall, prevention educators at Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, and Heidi Meides-Judge, counselor at Batavia High.
The stickers were colored bright orange and featured the following message:
Warning! It is illegal for any persons 21 or older to purchase or provide alcohol to minors. Fines up to $1,000 and/or 1 year in jail.
Prudence Favalora, one of the ATOP members, said that she will be reading the Red Ribbon Week honor code prior to tonight’s Batavia High junior varsity football game (6 p.m. start) at Van Detta Stadium.
Additionally, the Batavia City School District board of education issued a proclamation in observance of Red Ribbon Week and Batavia Middle and Batavia High parents signed pledges to keep their kids drug- and alcohol-free.
UConnectCare officials reported that Red Ribbon Week activities include special events at The Recovery Station on Clinton Street Road.