Drug-Free South Reaches Hispanic Community at El Protector Festival

The El Protector festival was established by the Metro Nashville Police Department in 2008 as a way for the police to connect with the Hispanic community and show that the police are here to protect citizens. The festival has been a hit ever since with thousands of people attending each year.

Community organizations participate in the festival each year, and 2014 was no different. 

Drug-Free South is one organization that loves to participate. Coordinator Rev. Brian Fesler says, “It’s a joy reaching out to people and getting them this information. We know that by getting the truth about drugs out to people we are eradicating the drug problem, one person at a time.”

The organization is reaching out further to the communities in Tennessee to spread a positive message to empower youth and adults alike with the knowledge of how drugs really harm people.

Ann Vallieres volunteers for Drug-Free South. She says that spreading these positive messages is “addicting.” Vallieres, who originally hails from Canada, has been volunteering for Drug-Free South since 2010, “I feel it’s my responsibility to reach everyone in Tennessee – to make sure people get the truth about drugs.”

Volunteers were able to pass out hundreds of booklets at the festival.

For more information on the El Protector festival, visit the Nashville.gov/police-department website and search for El Protector.  For more information on Drug-Free South, visit drugfreesouth.org.