2016 Year in Review -- Drug-Free Tennessee

2016 saw the expansion of Drug-Free Tennessee, carrying out the work of the international organization the Foundation for a Drug-Free World in the Southeast United States.

To start off the year, Drug-Free Tennessee (DFT) held a booklet distribution event in downtown Nashville near the Cumberland River where volunteers managed to pass out hundreds of The Truth About Drugs booklets in just a few short hours.

Next, volunteers headed to the CMA music festival where they distributed over 1,000 booklets to music lovers. And just a short time after, DFT went out in full force to the Edgehill neighborhood to get copies of the booklet to hundreds of residents.

Following these outreach efforts, the Regional Coordinator of Drug-Free Tennessee, Rev. Brian Fesler, called together a round table discussion of community leaders, pastors, and police officers to dive into the topic and find out how all of us might work together to end the drug epidemic afflicting Tennessee neighborhoods. The round table discussion took place in honor of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Community leaders attending were inspired by the materials presented by DFT and immediately set up further meetings to implement the program materials in their own areas.

Next, DFT volunteers participated at National Night Out Against Crime in the Edgehill neighborhood. First, leaders were asked to speak about the program to residents, non-profits and police officers, then, they went straight to work getting the booklets out to everyone who attended the Night Out celebration.

Rev. Fesler had this to say about 2016, “We have had a good year, but drugs are still a problem in this state. We have big plans for 2017 and are ready to help anyone in the state who is trying to address this issue.”

Drug-Free Tennessee distributes the Truth About Drugs booklet, which cover all basic side effects of drugs, common street names, and how to recognize when you are being persuaded by a dealer. To learn more or to order booklets, visit drugfreesouth.org.