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EASTCHESTER, N.Y. Eastchester is seeing red this week, as residents participate in the oldest and largest drug-prevention campaign in the country: Red Ribbon Week.
This year, Eastchester Communities That Care (ECTC), a youth substance abuse-prevention coalition, is encouraging officials, law enforcement agencies and community organizations to keep the message of drug prevention visible.
For the last seven years, we have worked with the Eastchester community to build partnerships to make substance abuse prevention a goal in our town, said ECTC board member Donna Gallucci.
At Eastchester High School, the Sports Club and other student-led organizations assisted in decorating the school grounds last week to show support for the initiative. Residents driving past the high school on White Plains Road this week may have noticed red ribbons adorning the building and trees lining the road.
The observance of Red Ribbon Week is especially important, Gallucci said, because so many children lose their lives due to poor and avoidable choices each year in America.
Alcohol is the No. 1 drug of choice for the youth of Eastchester, as well as across America. Underage drinking claims the lives of thousands of young people under the age of 21 every year, she said. Young people frequently mix other drugs with alcohol use, compounding the dangerous effects. Our children are at risk.
Gallucci said she hopes support for Red Ribbon Week will continue to spread in the same way October has become known for pink ribbons that symbolize breast cancer awareness.
These are our children and we want to see the community encourage their healthy decisions to live drug- and alcohol-free lives, she said. There is strength and influence in numbers. We want to see the Town of Eastchester adorned in red for the month of October to give visibility to all we do to support and protect the children.
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