With each new school year, kids are faced with many challenges, perhaps most seriously peer pressure to use drugs. Often times, a simple “no” isn’t enough to deflect peer pressure, that’s why notMYkid, a national non-profit organization, is partnering with Drug Free Collier in Florida on their Annual Back to School Substance Abuse Prevention Campaign.
“Most parents are unaware that the average age for first-time drug experimentation is 13,” said notMYkid CEO Aimee Runyon. “When a child starts using drugs, it is typically two years before parents realize there is a problem. We want parents and children to visit our mock teen room, called “Hidden in Plain Sight”, to become knowledgeable and find out ways to start the dialogue early and keep the lines of communication open.”
In Naples, FL, parents can attend three events hosted hosted by Drug Free Collier to pick up their free drug test kits and gather information. The events will be held on Monday, Sept. 26 at 5:30 p.m. at Lorenzo Walker Technical College, located at 3702 Estey Ave., Naples, Fl; Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 9:30 a.m. at Oakridge Middle School, located at 14975 Collier Boulevard, Naples, Fl; and Thursday, Oct. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Big Cypress Elementary School, located at 3250 Golden Gate Blvd., West Naples, Fl.
“Parents will walk away with a valuable tool that helps them protect their child from substance abuse,” said Rey Pezeshkan, President of Drug Free Collier. “The drug tests, combined with the informational resources provided to each parent are part of an effective family drug prevention plan.”
The campaign began in Phoenix on August 15 and will span 10 cities across the United States, giving away more than 3,000 free home drug test kits for the next three months. Long time partner, First Check Diagnostics, the leader in home diagnostic testing, has generously donated all of the kits for this year’s campaign. Each kit is valued at $40 and comes with substance abuse prevention strategies and a family drug prevention plan.
“First Check Diagnostics has been a proud national sponsor of notMYkid for 12 years,” said Stacy Morano, marketing manager of First Check. “So many parents think their kids will never try drugs, but statistics show otherwise. Our home test kits are a proven deterrent and easy way for parents to start the conversation with their kids. We hope the Back to School campaign discourages kids from trying illegal drugs.”
When parents choose to drug test their kids it accomplishes several important goals:
Opens a dialogue between parents and kids to discuss the risks of drug use
Helps kids avoid peer pressure situations by empowering them to say ‘No, I can’t, my parents drug test me”
Alerts the parent if a child has recently used drugs so they can decide how to respond
notMYkid is coordinating local events and distribution efforts with local public safety agencies, schools and other organizations, like Drug Free Collier. For a list of cities, partners and local events visit www.notMYkid.org/backtoschool.