Rescue 180 / DEA / SAMHSA encourage ‘RED RIBBON MONTH’ for students Inside Jefferson County Schools

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Substance Abuse Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) as well as local Substance Abuse Coalitions ask Americans to join in commemorating Red Ribbon Week, preferably throughout the month of October in local schools.

In 1985, Special Agent Enrique ‘KiKi” Camarena was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by drug traffickers. From the heartbreak over his death grew a commitment by young people to remain drug-free and reduce demand for cartels’ poisonous products. In KiKi’s hometown of Calexico , California, teens started red ribbons in his memory. The effort quickly gained momentum across the country. The National Partnership turned Red Ribbon Week, has been celebrated in schools and throughout the communities for many years.

Red Ribbon anchors DEA’s efforts in drug prevention , and community outreach.

The DEA works tirelessly throughout October to promote community safety and healthy drug free lifestyles in the spirit of red ribbon.

Rescue 180 Jefferson County’s Substance Abuse is committed to the mission of the DEA’s Red Ribbon project, shared director Rev. Debra Shultz, Board Certified Prevention Practitioner for the county.

We partner with the DEA and their initiatives that send drug free messages to our youth in Jefferson County.

” Throughout the month of October we will be working in the Jefferson County Schools, and the Boys and Girls Club of Dumplin Valley to promote drug free wellness and share in the spirit of honoring the DEA’s memorial of their fallen colleague ‘KiKI’.

According to reports the Jefferson County agency is categorized as a behavioral health organization and has been partnering with the community and Jefferson County schools since 2011, through state, local and federal funding.

Shultz also shared that the agency wrote a Tennessee Abatement Prevention Education grant for the Jefferson County Schools in 2023, that allowed their prevention team to provide prevention education for students.

Rescue 180 Inc. is also funded by a Drug Free Communities grant through the Center of Disease Control , The Tennessee Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse services, as well as the Office of Criminal Justice, funding the Drug Endangered Children’s grant with the TBI.

The agency houses 2 Board Certified Prevention Practitioner’s Level I and II, as well as a prevention educator team, a resource manager, and a reentry team in recovery staff with 2 CPRS’s who serve in the jail and provides a crisis wrap around recovery service for Jefferson County’s vulnerable population needing recovery support in the Rescue 180 Crisis Center..

Our goal is to use Evidence Based Strategies to educate our community about the dangers of substance misuse and to serve those in our community who have need of help with cooccurring mental health issues due to substance abuse . The services also provide

Spiritual support, and is a 501c3 , Faith-Based organization whose services are free of charge.

If you are interested in having our Prevention Team present our program to a classroom or youth club or If you have a loved one who needs help with addiction, suicide ideation or domestic violence and other trauma call us at 865-350-2914 , rescue180.com