This week has been a fun week, not only for students at our local schools but also for the teachers. Red Ribbon Week has become a national week of drug intervention with schools.

Our future lies within the children of tomorrow. This means if we don’t take the time now to mold them into model citizens, we will never be able to reach a community nirvana.

This year, the schools have put forth extra effort to make living drug free seem like the best idea for everybody. Many schools participated by allowing their students to dress up or bring special items to school. Many of the schools even awarded prizes to help encourage the kids to be drug free.

The Chilton-Shelby Mental Health Center and the Chilton County Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) have been working to show kids of all ages that you shouldn’t just be drug free during school, but that having a drug-free life can lead to a better future.

This national week of anti-drug exposure is one of the oldest drug prevention campaigns. It is throughout this week the government, communities, schools and individuals take time to think about their lifestyle and the places they have gone or the places they could have gone with a drug-free life. According to the Chilton County SADD chapter, the future can only be changed when everyone puts forth a good effort to make it change. It is otherwise going to be nothing to look forward to as our children grow up.

Through activities, dress up days, games and special speeches, this week has been an outreach to all students in Chilton County to ask them to live drug-free lives. As parents, we should make sure this national anti-drug campaign’s point makes it into all of our homes.