The Fountain Hills Drug Coalition is bringing Red Ribbon Week back to Fountain Hills Middle School next week, from Oct. 24-28. The Coalition will bring in vendors and educational materials throughout the week to bring awareness to the negative impacts of drugs, alcohol and vaping.

There will be several events and activities during the week-long initiative, culminating with the Educational Health Fair on Friday, Oct. 28, for all students, parents, grandparents and guardians. The Coalition will separate the fair into three timed groups, but they welcome parents and guardians to come anytime between 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.

The Coalition collaborated with at least 13 vendors to fill tables at the fair. Each table will have a different lesson or game related to Red Ribbon Week, and some of the vendors include the Fountain Hills Fire Department, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Elks Lodge, Kiwanis, Boys & Girls Club and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

There will be three raffle drawings after the fair, one for each section. Fourth and fifth grade students will be in the gymnasium from 9:15-9:45 a.m., sixth and seventh graders from 10-10:30 a.m., and eighth graders from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m.

Kids can earn raffle tickets throughout the week by participating in activities and spirit days. They will also have a stamp card students will carry from table to table at the fair, and the more they participate, the better chance for a prize they have.

This upcoming Monday, Oct. 24, Fountain Hills Middle School students and faculty will show they’re “RED-y to live a drug-free life” by wearing red clothes. Kids can wear their favorite hat on Tuesday, rock their crazy socks on Wednesday, and “say peace out to drugs” on Thursday with tie-dyed clothing.

On Friday, the day of the fair, students will dress in Falcon blue and show their school pride. The Fountain Hills Falcon will also be at the fair in costume for photo opportunities with the kids and their families.

There will be daily announcements on drug-free living, and kids can sign a pledge to live drug-free. Mary McDonald’s fourth grade science class will also plant 100 red tulip bulbs to symbolize hope and be a reminder to live drug-free when they bloom in April.

The Fountain Hills Coalition hired two part-time employees earlier this year, Shawn Uphoff and Nita Sayles. They both have community connections and helped bring back Red Ribbon Week. Uphoff worked to create the graphics for the event and spoke with several Fountain Hills vendors, and Sayles helped to bring in several Fort McDowell groups to participate in the educational fair.

Red Ribbon Week has been practiced nationally since 1988 to honor a fallen DEA special agent and U.S. Marine, Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Kiki was brutally murdered by drug traffickers he was investigating in 1985, and after his death, people in his hometown of Calexico, Calif. wore red ribbons in his honor.

The goal of the Coalition during this weeklong initiative is to engage with students and their families in a fun and memorable way. They want to show the benefits and importance of a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, and help students avoid destructive life choices like drugs, alcohol and tobacco use.

“Shawn and Nita have done a fantastic job in organizing this effort,” said Mike Scharnow, the Coalition’s director. “We received incredible cooperation from the school and its staff.

“Research shows that children are less likely to use alcohol and other drugs when parents and other role models are clear and consistent in their opposition to drug use and the misuse of prescription drugs.”

For more information, visit fhcoalition.org.