Race 2 B Drug Free
Race 2B Drug Free is our new campaign to help kids stay away from drugs or to stop using drugs. This campaign will be fueled by the Carlos Vieira Foundation, Carlos Vieira Racing and 51 FIFTY Enterprises. Our goal is to start in Merced County and then to expand into the surrounding counties.
One way drug use starts is from kids being around people who use drugs. Many children are also raised in homes with parents or family members that use drugs so they are easily introduced to the use of drugs. Most kids are influenced in their schools and in the streets. Parents have a responsibility to talk to their kids at home about the harmful effects of using drugs, but this does not always work. Many kids will not believe what their parents are saying or they will think that it could never happen to them. Some parents feel that there is no reason to talk to their kids about drugs because they never used drugs themselves or they think their child is not the type of person that is likely to use drugs. The truth is that all types of people can use drugs for different reasons and those who do will usually get hooked and destroy their lives. Some are lucky and have loved ones that help them get back to living life without drugs, but many will have no one and their lives can be ruined forever. That is why we feel the need to address this problem in our schools and in the streets and do what we can to help.
One way we can help in the schools is to bring in speakers that have a true past of drug abuse and who can share their personal experiences and hardships. I’m not talking about someone who will sugarcoat their experience but really lay it all out there and scare these kids. Drug abuse is ugly and the result of using drugs never ends well unless you are able to stop. We need to imprint this into the minds of our children that jail, institution or death will be where they will end up at an early age if they choose this path. Young users think that they will never get hooked. They might see it as a way to fit in or to be cool. Most of the time it will start with cigarettes, alcohol or marijuana and then it grows to harder drugs. Kids are often pushed and persuaded by their friends to use. They will use together for some time but then they will start using drugs alone. Our hope is to keep these kids from ever starting. Maybe it will take bringing in a famous person or professional athlete to influence our kids in a positive way. Whatever it takes we want to help. Our local law enforcement also has drug programs that they are bringing into the schools and we support all their efforts.
After-school is a time when kids can really get into trouble. Many parents work and do not come home until hours after school is out. This is the time when some kids are most at-risk. They feel they can do whatever they want. Some will hang out with friends, go to places that they should not go or even become part of a street gang. Other kids might go home and
become bored. Boredom is one big reason why people use drugs. Some kids will witness their friends using drugs and they might go to people’s homes and witness drug use. At first they might not really understand what they are doing or they might act like nothing is going on. They might even believe that just because they are around these people doesn’t mean that they will become like them, but the truth is that just being around these influences increases the probability that eventually they will use drugs.
All of these are reasons why we are joining up with the Police & Sheriff Activities League to help our kids stay away from drugs. The Police & Sheriff Activities League currently has activities set up that kids can participate in after school. Some examples are a BMX club, baseball games, and a cadet program. Unfortunately, they have struggled with the funds needed to really do everything they would like to do. By joining up with the Police & Sheriff Activities League we will help to increase funds for these programs to work successfully. One program that we really believe will help kids stay away from drugs and help get them to stop using drugs and off the streets is a boxing program. Boxing is an individual sport with a team atmosphere that many of these at-risk kids respect. Boxing can help build confidence, discipline and a healthy body. It also allows for kids to be part of a team and to feel good about themselves.
We will be working closely with local schools to monitor school grades of the kids that are in the program. We will also be checking with local law enforcement to make sure members in the program are not in gangs and are staying out of trouble. In Merced County there are currently two boxing programs; in Delhi and in Atwater. We will be supporting these programs and helping them grow. We will also be starting a new boxing program in Livingston which will be up and running in January, 2012. We eventually would like to expand these programs to the surrounding areas as well.
Kids need to belong to something positive. They need to feel good about themselves and know that they are important. Being part of a team can be essential for kids to feel like they belong to something and that they have a purpose. Kids that are part of something positive or have good hobbies will have a greater chance to live their lives without drugs. This is what we believe in and what we want to promote to the kids that are in our community.