Anti-drug telethon to be held on March 6
Anti-drug group PRIDE will host its first solo telethon on March 6.
It will feature local entertainment, drug prevention strategies, testimonials by ex-addicts and information from the Police.
The event ? which starts at 7 p.m. on VSB ? was promoted at the weekly Hamilton Rotary lunch by PRIDE treasurer Pauline Richards and deputy director Susann Burcher.
The pair also took time to explain to Rotarians the work done by their organisation.
PRIDE (Parent Resource Institute for Drug Education) was the first internationally accredited substance abuse prevention organisation on the Island and has been in existence for nearly 20 years.
It runs three programmes for students aged 5-17: PRIDE Pals, Club PRIDE and PRIDE Youth to Youth.
Ms Burcher told Rotarians PRIDE Pals was an innovative drug prevention programme for elementary school students. Like other PRIDE programmes, it was designed to send a powerful message by urging students to make positive decisions and stand up against peer pressure to dabble in drugs.
The curriculum incorporated character development, leadership, life-skills building, fun activities and community service. While it was not part of the Government education curriculum all government primary schools and one private school participated in the programme.
The organisation also ran Parent to Parent courses that helped caregivers network and gain support from fellow parents. In addition, the programme provided parents with the tools they needed to identify early signs of drug abuse.
Ms Richards said that the organisation was looking to gain more community involvement in fundraising and cease relying solely on Government and corporate donations.
"Our organisation makes a difference one child at a time. Prevention yields lasting results."
She said in the lead-up to the telethon there would be numerous fundraising efforts around the Island and urged people to get involved.
She promised the telethon was a not-to-be-missed event which would entertain and inform Bermudians about the perils of drugs and PRIDE programmes.
