Local Youth Organization Receives National Award From DoD

The Department of Defense (DoD) selected the Guadalupe Valley Young Marines from Seguin as this year’s winner of the 2022 Fulcrum Shield Award. The award is given annually by the DoD and recognizes military-affiliated youth organizations around the world that have made intensive efforts at spreading anti-drug messages in local communities.

“I am truly excited and honored to receive the Fulcrum Shield Award this year,” said Dina Dillon, unit commander of the Guadalupe Valley Young Marines. “I’m also very proud of the work we did to bring Red Ribbon Week to the minds of our community. The Fulcrum Shield award is the top award and having volunteered for 20 years with the Young Marines, I feel it’s even more special.”

In 2021 the Guadalupe Valley Young Marines had nine youth members and seven adult volunteers. The unit amassed 228 hours of drug demand reduction (DDR) training and service in the local community. In addition, four Young Marines earned the DDR ribbon.

In October of 2021, they participated in various Red Ribbon Week activities in which the unit received a proclamation from the governor of Texas, the mayor of Seguin, the commissioners of Guadalupe County, and the Sheriff.

In May of 2021, the Guadalupe Valley Young Marines received third place for the Kiki Camarena award presented by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for DDR efforts in Seguin. The DEA award honors Young Marines units for drug demand reduction efforts through community education and peer-to-peer role modeling.

In 2014, the Young Marines unveiled "Closing the Gate on Drugs" on a national scale. It consists of lessons that help young people learn and practice new skills and strategies for resisting the gateway drugs. These "gateway drugs" include tobacco, alcohol, inhalant abuse, marijuana, and over the counter or prescription medication.

"We are extremely proud of Guadalupe Valley Young Marines for their remarkable efforts in educating their local community on the dangers of drugs," said Col. William P. Davis USMC (Ret), national executive director and CEO of the Young Marines. "Their message reached an extraordinary amount of people in and around Seguin, which has a population of approximately 30,000 people.”

The Guadalupe Valley Young Marines was founded in 2009, and meets at the Geronimo VFW, 6808 Texas Hwy 123, Seguin, TX. For more information, visit https://youngmarines.org/unit/guadalupevalley/page.

About the Young Marines

The Young Marines is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) youth education and service program for boys and girls, age eight through high school graduation. The Young Marines promotes the mental, moral, and physical development of its members. The program focuses on teaching the values of leadership, teamwork, and self-discipline, so its members can live and promote a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Since the Young Marines' humble beginnings in 1959 with one unit and a handful of boys, the organization has grown to more than 238 units with 6,100 youth and 2,100 adult volunteers in 40 states, the District of Columbia, Japan, and affiliates in a host of other countries.

For more information, visit the official website at: https://youngmarines.org.