Red Ribbon Balloon Release
and visit from Sgt. Bernhardt
by Teresa Sands
October 24, 2007
On Tuesday, October 23, Sgt. Brent Bernhardt from the Missouri Highway Patrol gave an informative presentation to the Putnam County Middle School on current drug abuse trends. After explaining how
Red Ribbon Week originated, he discussed how drugs impact everyone. One interesting comment he made was that drug suppliers do not use drugs. They are smart and they bank on us making bad choices. Sgt Bernhardt said every day should be a red ribbon day.
Besides discussing various drugs, he also stressed the importance of safety belt usage. One would think he would want us to use our safety belts because it is the law; and while it is the law, he said it should be our priority to use them because they help protect us.
Later that morning, the students released red balloons donated by HyVee.
The balloons had an anti-smoking message on them with a return address. By Wednesday, October 24, we had our first reply. A couple in Texas called the school to let us know they found one of our balloons. It is always exciting to see how far they travel and if they have made an impact on anyone's life.
