San Andreas, CA…October 23rd through October 31st is Red Ribbon Week. Red Ribbon week is a drug awareness program held annually during the month of October. The Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office, and other county departments participate by hosting a coloring contest for students in grades 1st through 8th. Each year the theme of the poster changes. This year the theme is “Celebrate Life. Live drug-Free.” Posters should be submitted within student’s school by Tuesday October 25th.

This year’s poster contest theme follows the 2019 Red Ribbon Week theme of “Send a Message. Stay Drug Free”. This poster contest was created locally in 2015 to incorporate alcohol and drug discussion with creative expression and increase participants’ self-esteem. The contest has been on hold since 2019 due to changed school schedules and attendance resulting from the pandemic.

The contest is presented annually by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office, Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office, Angels Camp Police Department, and the Calaveras County Office of Education. Thank you to all of the students and schools who participated.

THE RED RIBBON CAMPAIGN™ AND ENRIQUE KIKI CAMARENA
Since its beginning in 1985, the Red Ribbon has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. In response to the murder of DEA Agent Enrique Camarena, angered parents and youth in communities across the country began wearing Red Ribbons as a symbol of their commitment to raise awareness of the killing and destruction caused by drugs in America.

Enrique (Kiki) Camarena was a Drug Enforcement Administration Agent who was tortured and killed in Mexico in 1985. When he decided to join the US Drug Enforcement Administration, his mother tried to talk him out of it. “I’m only one person,” he told her, “but I want to make a difference.”

On Feb. 7, 1985, the 37-year-old Camarena left his office to meet his wife for lunch. Five men appeared at the agent’s side and shoved him in a car. One month later, Camarena’s body was found. He had been tortured to death.

In honor of Camarena’s memory and battle against illegal drugs, friends and neighbors began wearing red satin badges. Parents, sick of the destruction of alcohol and other drugs, had begun forming coalitions. Some of these new coalitions took Camarena as their model and embraced his belief that one person can make a difference. These coalitions also adopted the symbol of Camarena’s memory, the red ribbon.

In 1988, NFP sponsored the first National Red Ribbon Celebration. Today, the Red Ribbon catalyzes to mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities. Since then, the campaign has reached millions of U.S. children and families. The National Family Partnership (NFP) and its network of individuals and organizations continue to deliver his message of hope to millions of people annually through the National Red Ribbon Campaign™.