Orlando Science Elementary School Wins National Red Ribbon Photo Contest for the Second Year

Orlando, FL (Dec. 2, 2016) – ’Tis the season for giving. Orlando Science Elementary School is the proud winner of the much-anticipated 2016 National Red Ribbon Photo Contest for the second year in a row. Students, faculty and staff were fearlessly led by administrator Paola Stauffer in decorating the campus with this year’s theme, “YOLO. Be Drug Free™”. This was done in addition to the school’s traditional Red Ribbon Week ® (Oct. 23-31) celebrations to promote their commitment to living a healthy and drug-free lifestyle.

The contest takes place each year as a part of National Red Ribbon Week – the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention campaign, sponsored by the National Family Partnership (NFP). Paola Stauffer will receive an iPad from NFP and the school will receive a $1,000 prize from contest co-sponsors, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), to be used toward drug prevention. Additionally, Informed Families/The Florida Family Partnership will be awarding the school $1,000 and an additional iPad for Stauffer for being the top school entry in Florida.

“Red Ribbon Week is one of the most exciting and fun weeks of the entire school year,” said Paola Stauffer. “If you ask the students what their favorite week is, they always say ‘Red Ribbon.’ We decided to enter the contest because we liked the challenge and we knew it was a way to get the families involved and pass on the drug prevention message. Everyone participated.”

Red Ribbon Week began in 1985 after the abduction and murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. The first ever National Red Ribbon Week was organized by the National Family Partnership in 1988. NFP continues to sponsor the campaign for families, schools and communities across the nation each year. Since its inception, the campaign has touched millions of lives to promote and celebrate drug free living.

“An estimated 80 million people celebrate Red Ribbon Week each year,” says NFP President and Informed Families President & CEO Peggy Sapp. “We designed the contest to involve families, schools, and communities in delivering the drug prevention message to children while promoting a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. We are so impressed by the winners and their wonderful stories about spreading the Red Ribbon message in their homes, schools and communities.”

Close to 100,000 votes were cast in support of the more than 400 contest entries. Money earned for winning the contest will go to drug education and prevention programs.

“Congratulations to all of the Red Ribbon Photo Contest participants,” said Acting DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg. “This is a great way to spread the prevention message and educate students and families about drug abuse.”

See all 2016 winning photos at www.redribbon.org/contest/winners. See all Florida contest winners at https://www.informedfamilies.org/blog/2016_fl_red_ribbon_week_contest_wi....

“The contest allowed our students to see how working together can help promote a great cause,” said Principal Michael Singleton. “Our plan is to reinvest the prize money back into next year's Red Ribbon Week and into our character education program.”

To learn more about Red Ribbon Week and the contest, visit www.RedRibbon.org.

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ABOUT INFORMED FAMILIES
A nonprofit organization founded in 1982, the mission of Informed Families is helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug-free. Informed Families focuses on educating, involving and empowering parents to work together in order to set boundaries and monitor their children's activities to prevent underage drinking, substance abuse and other harmful behaviors. Affiliated with the National Family Partnership, Informed Families is best known for being the Florida sponsor of the National Red Ribbon Campaign. Informed Families also boasts multiple school- and community-based prevention programs targeting youth, parents and communities. For more information on Informed Families, visit www.informedfamilies.org or call (305) 856-4886.

THE NATIONAL FAMILY PARTNERSHIP (NFP) was established in 1980 and is a national leader in drug prevention, education and advocacy. Its mission is to lead our nation’s families and communities in nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug-free youth. Red Ribbon Week is the nation’s largest and oldest drug prevention campaign. NFP created the campaign in response to the 1985 abduction and murder of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Learn more about the National Family Partnership at www.nfp.org.