The Americas Chapter of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World Honors Red Ribbon Week with Series of Events

According to a WhiteHouse.gov drug control update, from 2009-2010, New York was one of the top ten states for drug-use rates. Approximately 9.82 percent of New York residents reported past-month use of illicit drugs whereas the national average was 8.82 percent.

“This must change,” says Pamela Vilinsky, Regional Coordinator for the Foundation for a Drug-Free World (FDFW) Americas Chapter based in New York, “To prevent even more of an epidemic, we are working twice as hard to spread the truth about drugs.”

During the final week of October, the FDFW presented drug education seminars to several schools, community centers, and to the Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey in partnership with the DEA. Not only that, the chapter held several awareness events such as “Meet a Cop” where people were also invited to grab a free copy of the Truth About Drugs booklets.  The Founder of the Americas Chapter of FDFW, Ben Fialkoff, also presented Drug Education Certificates to Law Enforcement Officers as well as held an event with NYPD Explorers Club.

The series of events was to honor Red Ribbon Week, which occurs during the last week of October each year and is a time to educate people and prevent drug abuse. The Red Ribbon Campaign was started when drug traffickers in Mexico City murdered DEA agent Kiki Camarena in 1985. This began the continuing tradition of displaying Red Ribbons as a symbol of intolerance towards the use of drugs. The mission of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a unified and visible commitment towards the creation of a Drug-Free America, according to redribbon.org.

“We are always proud to participate in Red Ribbon Week, as part of a unified voice that says ‘we are not going to let drugs continue to ruin lives across the world,’” says Vilinsky.

The FDFW Americas Chapter is part of the worldwide effort to end drug abuse through education, the Foundation for a Drug-Free World. To learn about the work done in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, and Latin America, visit DrugFreeWorldAmericas.org.