In this season of giving, donate to an organization that makes a difference.
Your donation helps continue our valuable work, and is a charitable donation under IRS guidelines. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF DFYIT's STUDENTS.
DFYIT Begins it's first Documentary! View the trailer below.
DFYIT Alumni Speaks Out! Featuring former member/club president Katie Sapkosky
Almost eight years ago I was a timid young girl who was just about to start middle school. This shy young girl was about to be coxed out of me. I was approached in the end of elementary school and was introduced to a middle school club advisor along with a program specialist from an organization called DFYIT. I was told I would be able to do lots of community service, learn about drugs/their effects and go on many field trips. At first I was hesitant to join and didn't know what to say but I thought what the heck? So, I joined. My first year in the club I learned a lot about drugs, why its so important to stay away from them and completed over 70 hours of community service, most within my community.
At the end of middle school I had become president of my school's club, made lots of friends, and became an advocate for DFYIT. I spread the word at city council meetings, made a newspaper for the Saturday club and completed over 300 hours within the DFYIT family team. Then came high school. I attended Robert Morgan High school and was definitely up for a challenge. I became community service officer in 9th grade, helped recruit over 200 members, became president my 10th grade year and continued as president of the school club till the end of my senior year. By the closing stages of this I had completed over 1,400 hours of community service, most with DFYIT and knew that this would not be the end.
The last ceremony for high school I would ever attend with DFYIT was the awards ceremony. This was going to be tough and their were tears, these where tears of joy. I not only graduated within the top of my academy in high school, with honors, and fourteen hundred hours of community service but with a $5,000 scholarship from DFYIT for all my accomplishments within the club. DFYIT changed my life for the better, who knows where I could have ended up without them, mislead without the facts.
Just because my journey ended as a student with DFYIT, it hasn't stopped from continuing on with their mission to support a drug free and healthy life style. I have created a college club, advocating in the community and still working on community service projects. DFYIT has changed my life, inspired me and will forever hold a place in my heart.
So why should you join? - You get to make lots of friends - Get involved in community service - Go on fieldtrips (all free)
*** ATTENTION DFYIT CLUB MEMBERS & ALUMNI *** Are you interested in submitting your own stories for our quarterly newsletter? Tell us what's going on in your school and community, or share a personal story related to drug prevention and awareness. Email your submissions to lcross@dfyit.org by Feb 26, 2010 for a chance to appear in our March newsletter!
Prescription Drug Abuse
X Week Highlights
By: Barbara Zohlman Executive Director
Remember the book All I Really Need to Know I Learned In Kindergarten? Share everything, play fair and don't hit, were the key life lessons we all hope our children learn when they are young. Be a good sharer we would tell our kids. Share with your sister/brother we would chant. Today is a new day. Today we might take a second look at pushing our youth to share everything.
The sharing of prescription drugs by teens has become a nation wide health problem. A study published online in August 2009 in the Journal of Adolescent Health states that one in five teens shares their prescription drugs with friends. Surveys show of 12-17 year olds in the U.S. 20% said they have given their prescription drugs like OxyContin and Darovcet to friends or obtained drugs the same way. Three-quarters of those who borrowed drugs from friends said they did so instead of visiting a doctor.
In a recent CADCA article states that prescription drugs are misused more by this age than any illicit drug, except marijuana. The nonmedical use of drugs that legitamely relieve pain, treat anxiety, depression, sleep disorders or ADHD is a growing and under recognized problem putting young lives at risk.
Experts say that adolescents are turning to prescription drugs not just for recreational use but to help them deal with their day to day lives. Reasons for using include managing school or family related stress and anxiety, to lifting their mood, to helping enhance academic or athletic performance. Every day, almost 2,500 teens abuse a prescription drug for the first time.
The other lesson we learned in Kindergarten was, don't take things that aren't yours. Keep this in mind when discussing this issue with your child. Every prescription has a name on the bottle. That means it belongs to that one person and no one else.
CLICK THE IMAGE TO WATCH THE CBS 4 REPORT ON OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH SUMMIT | 12.7.09
By: Ron Ledain Associate Program Director Miami-Dade
Our 2009 X week coincided this year with red ribbon week, in an effort to X-out illicit drug use within our schools. During this period, several events and activities were conducted within all of our Miami-Dade County Schools in an effort to bring awareness to the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD).
Wearing a different X-week tshirt every day, one color for each type of drug, most clubs delivered classroom presentations to their fellow peers or held an assembly on the dangers of drugs. But a few schools took it one step higher this year. At American Senior High for instance, the club performed a Guerilla Marketing activity using the FREEZE concept, where they all froze in place for three (3) minutes during lunchtime. An announcement was made that every three (3) seconds someone dies from drug abuse (Click here to view the video).
Members of the Keys Gate Charter School dressed up as superheroes and conducted a public service announcement on drug facts and abuse. Students of North Miami Middle School conducted a poetry contest on drugs. The winning poem was written by the President of the club Maylin Enamorado, and was recited in the school auditorium in front of the entire student population. The DFYIT members of Coral Gables Senior High School made a tomb stone display on the school's football field and around the garden areas.
A group of students had dressed for a funeral, some as ghosts, and some in bloody clothes in order to send the message that there are ultimate consequences when drugs are involved. At John Ferguson Middle School, club members participated in a dance and came out of a classroom during spillout time with their faces painted in black and white.
These activities and many more showed how our members can be creative and have fun without the use of drugs or alcohol. The X-week online contest which ran from November 3rd 2009 through November 23rd 2009 closed the campaign. Our online grand prize winner of a Rock Band Unplugged Entertainment Pack (PlayStation Portable -PSP- Limited Edition) is Daniel Mantilla, a DFYIT member from John Ferguson High School.
On behalf of the DFYIT team, I applaud the active participation and involvement of all of our clubs in a successful X-week campaign for 2009!
DFYIT Broward gets the word out!
Having a Safe and SoBe Sober Holiday
By: David Spivey Associate Program Director
During the month of October Broward County Schools recognized Red Ribbon Week and Cooper City High was no exception. The club members of DFYIT took part in DFYIT's X Week Activities. X Week is DFYIT's week long youth campaign designed to X-out illicit drug use in our schools. Through classroom presentations, morning announcements, info tables, flyers, T-shirts, an online contest, and more DFYIT members spread their anti-drug/pro-positive choice message.
Living peacefully amongst humanity and making wise decisions is encouraged throughout our DFYIT Clubs. Members of South Broward High School embraced and conceptualized the idea by joining together in creating this man-made peace sign in the courtyard of their school.
DFYIT Welcomes New Schools to the DFYIT Family in Broward � Indian Ridge Middle School � Ramblewood Middle School � Henry D. Perry Middle � Miramar High
If you know of a school that could benefit from DFYIT's prevention program and services please call 954-742-5041 or email David Spivey at dspivey@dfyit.org.
By: Adrian F. Lopez Community Outreach/ Sobe Sober Administrator
The holiday season is once again upon us. For many, it will be a time of festive family gatherings, Christmas caroling, plenty of eating and plenty of gifts being unwrapped. However, the holiday season can go from festive to tragic very quickly due to alcohol use, especially for children.
Holiday parties give more people the opportunity to drink which could lead to alcohol-related tragedies. According to MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), at least 50% of all auto fatalities during the holidays involved alcohol.
Holiday gatherings may mean that your child is more exposed to alcohol use. Unfortunately, alcohol poising among youth is not uncommon during the holidays. For this reason it is important for parents to be aware the dangers and help prevent underage drinking, especially during the holidays
Here are some great tips for you provided by the U.S. Department of Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Holiday Celebration Tips:
� Let your child know what you expect. Tell your child that adults may be drinking during the holidays but under no circumstances is he/she allowed to drink alcohol. � At your holiday gatherings, offer plenty of nonalcoholic foods, drinks, and activities. � To lower the risk of alcohol poisoning, be sure to throw out partly empty alcoholic drinks. Children love to imitate adults, and if they have access to leftover drinks, they may taste the contents. � Have a plan in place about what you and your family will do if you are at a party where there are people who have had too much to drink. � Model responsible behavior by making sure that guests who have been drinking do not drive.
Alcohol-Free Holiday Tips:
� Plan a nonalcoholic holiday party with your child so children learn that they can have fun without alcohol. Send out invitations with alcohol- and drug-free messages on them, and make sure the guests know that yours will be a substance-free event. � For your holiday meal, let your child help you prepare and serve traditional drinks without alcohol. You can make nonalcoholic cider, eggnog, or punch. Look for recipes for nonalcoholic beverages like the ones found in these party planning tips. � Make sure your holiday festivities involve lots of delicious-and nonalcoholic-food, which your child can help you make. � If your older child is going to a holiday event, call ahead to make sure that the event will be alcohol and drug free. Check in with the party planners to see what measures are in place to keep alcohol out.
To everyone have a blessed, safe, and SoBe Sober Holiday Season and Happy New Year!
Sobe Sober article sponsored by Southern Wine and Spirits of America and Department of Children and Families.
Upcoming Events
Fundraising Corner
2010 Golf Tournament | 2/22/2010
At the beautiful Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club in Coral Gables, Florida
Registration: 7:00am Shotgun Tee-Off: 8:00am
For more information on Sponsorships, or to donate Auction Items please contact Margie Gabriel at 305-971-0607, ext. 204 or mgabriel@dfyit.org
This holiday season presents many opportunities for reflection and giving of thanks. This is especially true for DFYIT. The ability to positively affect the lives of our youth in troubled times continues to be a source of great pride and gratitude for us. We are seeing the positive effects that the DFYIT program has in these difficult times and in the decline of substance abuse among youth in Miami-Dade and Broward. Our gratitude largely lies in you - our friends - and the support you give DFYIT to continue its valuable work. In or out of a recession, the need for DFYIT's services continues.
We understand that the recession is probably impacting many of you. However, such reduced capacity to give can still pay off as our economy recovers. At DFYIT, our first responsibility has been to ensure that the dollars you entrust to us are being responsibly spent for the programs that keep our children drug free. As part of good stewardship, DFYIT not only maintains strong financial controls, but continues to examine the effectiveness of our programs and never compromises the quality of our services to youth. The progress DFYIT has made in reaching tens of thousands of young people is well documented and we can now educate more families through our website and electronic media outlets.
We challenge you to continue investing in the solution to substance abuse among teens-DFYIT's drug prevention program. Please consider a gift now and take advantage of the tax deduction for 2009. A pledge for a future date will also help us plan ahead for the coming year. Through Paypal, donating to DFYIT can be done quickly and securely. Just visit our website at www.dfyit.org, click on "Donate" to connect to Paypal and see how easy it is to continue the partnership we share with you.
DFYIT's Signature Fundraiser-
Our 11th Annual Golf Classic & Auction at the beautiful Deering Bay Yacht & Country Club will be the perfect backdrop for a day of networking, relaxation and an opportunity to support drug-free youth. Please join us on Monday, February 22, 2010. There is still time to sign up yourself or your foursome. Non-players are welcome to sign up for the luncheon and take advantage of bidding on wonderful silent auction items including jewelry, local hotel get-a-ways, restaurants and rounds of golf. Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, please visit our website at www.dfyit.org or call us at 305-971-0607 x204 and ask for Margie Gabriel.
