Great news! The 31st Annual Informed Families Dinner at Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant will take place on Monday, May 16, 2016. Long-time supporters Nancy & Jon Batchelor of the Batchelor Foundation will co-chair the illustrious event, alongside daughter-in-law and son Anna & Jon Batchelor, Jr.

The Joe's dinner will raise funds to support Informed Families' prevention programs and initiatives across Florida, which are designed to help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free.

The theme of this year’s dinner is “Generations.”  Generations of Families have been supporting Informed Families Annual Dinner at Joe’s Stone Crab for 31 years. Informed Families will be releasing wonderful photos of generations of families who have supported Informed Families’ mission of helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free by attending the dinner.

Who can resist sharing a dinner of Joe's Stone Crabs with family and friends? The annual Informed Families Dinner at Joe’s is an event with NO boring speeches; just good friends and families who want to help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free!

“Each Generation has a responsibility to pass on the drug free message to the next Generation,” said President & CEO Peggy B. Sapp. 

The Informed Families dinner at Joe’s brings out Miami’s best families. Will you be part of the festivities? For more information, please contact Esther Davila Edavila@Informedfamilies.org or 305-856-4886.

Informed Families, as we know it, would not exist without strong, passionate and resourceful partners. One such partner is Dr. Jessica Spencer, project director of The Manatee County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, locally known as “Drug Free Manatee.”

A true prevention advocate, Dr. Spencer aims to reach children well before drugs and alcohol enter the picture.

“What I like most about my work is the opportunity to educate and promote overall health and wellness to people in our community and in our State,” said Dr. Spencer. “Educating our communities about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs is so important. We are living in an illness-driven society right now where children are being taught that for every ailment or challenging feeling, there’s a pill to solve the problem. There will be bumps in the road, but you don’t have to reach for a bottle, pill or plant (cannabis) to make you feel better.”

In her eighteen plus years in the field of prevention and addiction, Dr. Spencer has worked in various capacities at the local, regional and statewide level to help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free. She is well known in the Florida prevention arena for her work in fight against marijuana legalization, having served as Statewide Coalition Director of the “Vote No on Amendment 2” initiative. In her role as Project Director at Drug Free Manatee, Dr. Spencer plans, implements and evaluates activities and programs that positively impact the health and wellness of all Manatee County citizens.

This January, Informed Families is partnering with Publix Pharmacy to deliver the Lock Your Meds® campaign, which aims to reduce prescription drug abuse by making adults aware that they are often the unintended suppliers of abused prescription medications.

Lock Your Meds asks individuals to secure their medication, take regular inventory to ensure nothing is missing, safely dispose of unused or expired medication and share the message with friends and family.

The campaign will be featured in 646 Publix Pharmacy stores across Florida through counter displays and printed pharmacy receipts containing a message about Lock Your Meds. This is the fourth year in a row that Publix, the fastest growing grocery chain in America, is collaborating with Informed Families to reduce prescription drug abuse in Florida's communities. 

School Entry Winner - Orlando Science Elementary School, Paola Stauffer

Home Entry Winner - Demarco/Reynolds Family, Pompano Beach Elementary

Informed Families is proud to announce the winners of its 2015 Florida Red Ribbon Photo Contest, which takes place as a part of National Red Ribbon Week ® – the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention campaign. The contest, sponsored by Informed Families/The Florida Family Partnership encouraged families and schools to decorate their homes and classrooms with this year’s Red Ribbon Week theme, “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free™.” All this was done to promote the commitment to living a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. The winners, who received the most votes in each category (home entries and school entries), earned $1,000 for their schools and an iPad for themselves.

The school entry winner is Orlando Science Elementary School, led by Administrator Paola Stauffer, who coordinated the effort to decorate the front of the school with this year’s Red Ribbon theme. Paola wins an iPad for herself and $1,000 to be used for drug prevention efforts at the school.

“I loved engaging the entire school community in the contest: students, parents, teachers and the administration.” said Paola Stauffer. “I believe if you start educating children early about drug prevention and involving parents, there will be a greater impact.’

Orlando Science Elementary School Principal, Michael Singleton, said he is very proud of his school and impressed by Paola’s efforts to rally the school in support of Red Ribbon Week.

“I am proud that our school won,” said Principal Singleton. “We have a special group of parents, students, and staff who do what it takes to be successfully, both academically and socially. There is a lot of hard work that goes into Red Ribbon Week and it’s nice to see a direct reward for this team effort.”

The home entry winner in the Florida Red Ribbon Photo Contest is the Demarco/Reynolds family. Pompano Beach Elementary School students, Drew, Abby and Stephen Reynolds, and their family, decorated their home fence with this year’s Red Ribbon theme and ultimately won an iPad and $1,000 for their school, from Informed Families.

“What I liked most about my kids participating in the contest was the theme: ‘Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free,’” said Tina Demarco, Drew, Abby and Stephen’s mother. “I want my children to know that they can be themselves. They don’t need to do drugs to fit in with other people.”

Pompano Beach Elementary School Principal Stephen P. Larson expressed his excitement about the win and the financial support for his school.

“We were thrilled to learn that one of our parents thought enough about the importance of drug education, our students, and our community to enter the statewide contest,” said Principal Stephen P. Larson. “It is indeed a powerful demonstration showing the influence that one person and one family can have on our community. We are excited about the opportunity to invest in current drug prevention materials and the potential that these funds can have on our school.”

National Red Ribbon Week began in 1985 and was started by the National Family Partnership in response to the abduction and murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Since its inception, the campaign has touched millions of lives to promote and celebrate drug free living. Informed Families is the Florida Sponsor of the campaign each year.

“An estimated 80 million people celebrate Red Ribbon Week each year,” said Informed Families President & CEO Peggy Sapp. “We designed the contest to bring the Red Ribbon message home and to give parents a chance to talk about the dangers of drug abuse. By receiving the same message at home, in school and in the community, children are significantly more likely to really hear and benefit from the prevention message.”

Families, schools and communities across Florida demonstrated their commitment to a Drug-Free America during 2015 Red Ribbon Week® (October 23-31). Informed Families, Florida's Red Ribbon Week sponsor, partnered with Ambassadors, agencies, organizations and businesses, leveraging resources and reaching more children and families with prevention messages. Red Ribbon Week was created after the death of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed in Mexico, 30 years ago. The National Red Ribbon Campaign®, sponsored by the National Family Partnership, is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation, with an estimated 80 million people celebrating each year.

Here are some highlights from 2015 Red Ribbon Week:

• Informed Families equipped schools across Florida with tool kits, featuring youth pledges, posters, parent flyers, morning announcements, newsletter entries, activity guides and more, through our Ambassador Program.

• Families and schools across the State entered Informed Families’ Florida Red Ribbon Photo Contest, which offered experiential learning while delivering the 2015 National theme message: “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.” The theme was created by a middle school student in Solon, Ohio. The school entry and home entry with the most votes in Florida will receive an iPad and $1,000 for a local K-12 school, courtesy of Informed Families. Stay tuned for the announcement of the winners in early December.

• Informed Families partnered with Discovery Education to promote its Red Ribbon Week- themed “Virtual Field Trip,” featuring a police canine training facility, to educators across Florida. Hundreds of Florida classrooms participated.

• Whole Foods Coral Gables selected Informed Families to be the recipient of its Donate Your Dime campaign during the month of October and for the remainder of 2015.

• Over $15,000 was raised by Informed Families and 30 Florida schools participating in the first ever Red Ribbon Walk & Wrap program, which supports local school projects and Statewide substance abuse prevention programs.

• Several schools were honored for being Red Ribbon Certified Schools, a designation given to schools who demonstrate year-round prevention excellence.

“Red Ribbon Week is and always has been a Prevention Delivery System,” said Informed Families President & CEO Peggy Sapp in her October President’s Message. “Through grassroots support in schools and communities, Red Ribbon Week sets the stage for parents, educators and community members to have open and honest conversations with their children about making healthy choices.”

Most importantly, Informed Families thanks the parents/caregivers, educators and concerned citizens who used Red Ribbon Week as an opportunity to talk to the children in their lives about the importance of being safe, healthy and drug free.

Long-time supporters Nancy & Jon Batchelor of the Batchelor Foundation will co-chair the 31st Annual Informed Families Dinner at Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant alongside daughter-in-law and son Anna & Jon Batchelor, Jr.

The Joe's dinner, which takes place in May (the end of stone crab season) each year, will raise funds to support Informed Families' prevention programs and initiatives across Florida, which are designed to help kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free.

Nancy & Jon Batchelor, who strongly support Informed Families and its mission of helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free, have attended and/or sponsored the Joe's dinner for many years. This past year, the Batchelors were Royal Order of the Golden Claw sponsors of the Joe's event.

"We are delighted to have Nancy & Jon Batchelor and Anna & Jon Batchelor, Jr. co-chair our 2016 Joe's dinner," said Peggy B. Sapp, president and CEO of Informed Families. "We look forward to working with such a wonderful, philanthropic and dynamic group to plan our best Joe's event yet."

For more information about the Joe's event, please contact Informed Families at edavila@informedfamilies.org. 

Photographed (L-R): Nancy & Jon Batchelor with Anna & Jon Batchelor, Jr., courtesy of SocialMiami.com

Want to equip your child with the best way to respond to negative peer pressure? Share these tips from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and practice using them together.

Even when your child is confident in his/her decision not to use drugs or alcohol, it can be hard when it’s a friend who is offering.

A lot of times, a simple “no thanks” may be enough. But sometimes it’s not. It can get intense, especially if the people who want your child to join in on a bad idea feel judged. If everyone is being “stupid” together, then they feel less self-conscious and don’t need to take all the responsibility.

But knowing they are just trying to save face doesn’t end the pressure, so here are a few tips that may come in handy.

1. Have your child offer to be the designated driver. Get their friends home safely, and everyone will be glad your child didn’t drink or take drugs.

2. If on a sports team, ask your child to say he/she is staying healthy to maximize his/her athletic performance—besides, no one would argue that a hangover would help someone play their best.

3. “I have to [study for a big test / go to a concert / visit my grandmother / babysit / march in a parade, etc.]. I can’t do that after a night of drinking/drugs.”

4. Have your child keep a bottled drink like a soda or iced tea with you to drink at parties. People will be less likely to pressure him/her to drink alcohol if he/she is already drinking something. If they still offer something, have your child just say “I’m covered.”

5. Have your child find something to do so he/she stays busy. Get up and dance. Offer to DJ.

6. When all else fails…have your child blame his/her parents. You certainly won’t mind! Ask your child to explain that his/her parents are really strict, or that they will check up on him/her upon arriving at home.

If your child's friends aren’t having it—then it’s a good time to find the door. Nobody wants to leave the party or their friends, but if your child's friends won’t let him/her party without drugs, then it’s not going to be fun for him/her.

Sometimes these situations totally surprise us. But sometimes our children can anticipate when alcohol or drugs will be used, such as at a concert. These are the times when your child should consider alternative plans.