Spend two minutes with Sonia Ambrose and you will instantly sense her unlimited passion for helping students thrive in school and in life.

“I find my job to be very rewarding,” said Ambrose. “I love being a school counselor and helping children succeed.”

As a counselor at Irving & Beatrice Peskoe K-8 Center in Homestead, Sonia offers students support, helps them build skills and works to resolve issues, all with the goal of helping them blossom to reach their full potential. Among the tools she uses to accomplish this goal are the materials given to her by Informed Families as part of the Ambassador Program.

“I was delighted to learn about the Ambassador Program last year at a county-wide training session with other school counselors,” said Ambrose. “I am always looking for great programs to help our students and families, so I immediately signed up.”

Topics: red ribbon week, pledges, ambassadors, campaigns, elementary school, homestead, middle school

 

"A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning" - Brad Henry

 

We understand that your life as a teacher is tough. You have many responsibilities - the greatest of which is educating our children to help them make a positive impact on our future. We want to make your life easier, so we are sharing these teacher tools: 3 tools to make your life easier. 

Topics: education, teacher tools, lesson plan template

When children in Baker County introduce Anne Lewis as “the drug lady,” parents sometimes get the wrong idea. For over 25 years, Lewis has dedicated her life to educating children about prevention in her small rural county, where underage drinking, tobacco and marijuana use are her biggest concerns.

“I’m now teaching the children of some of my very first students,” says Lewis.

As Baker County Schools' prevention coordinator, Anne visits each of the schools, delivers curriculum, sponsors service clubs, organizes summer leadership camps and manages the county’s overall prevention efforts.

Topics: Family Day, pledges, ambassadors, campaigns, high school, elementary school

Topics: education, high school, elementary school, middle school

 

Making a difference starts with volunteers. Organizations like ours (Informed Families) and  Volunteer Florida  unite and strengthen Florida communities so we can make our State a better place to live. Volunteering in Florida is an amazing thing to do and there are many benefits! Stay healthy, socialize with others, learn valuable skills, all while having fun making our neighborhoods a better place. Making a difference today is easy!

Topics: education, ambassadors, volunteer in florida

 

Volunteering provides many benefits for those who take the time to get involved . Benefits include improved health, increased social interaction, and learning new skills to advance your career. Young people want to volunteer, but Florida is ranked among the states with the lowest teenage volunteer rates. As adults, we understand the benefits of volunteering, so how can we share this wisdom with our children, improve our volunteer Florida rates for teens and get them more involved?

Topics: education, parent involvement, positive parenting, volunteer in florida

Parents, when you hear the word "Molly," pay attention. What sounds like a cute name of one of your child's friends may actual be a very dangerous drug that causes long term damage. Learn more as we cover one of the latest drug trends.

Topics: drug trends, prescription drug abuse, MDMA, club drugs, molly

"Connectors" are dedicated volunteers who share Informed Families' prevention message with their vast network of contacts to help expand the organization's reach. Deborah Montilla, executive director of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools' Division of Student Services and Vice Chairman of the Informed Families Board of Trustees, is a Connector extraordinaire and this month's spotlighted Connector.

Topics: red ribbon week, pledges, ambassadors, campaigns, high school, orlando

“I am so excited and happy,” said Kristofer Calhoun, winner of the 2015 National Red Ribbon Theme Contest, shortly after his surprise recognition ceremony at Solon Middle School in Solon, Ohio. “I am shocked that I won out of so many entries.”

The 2015 National Red Ribbon theme is “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.”

“Respecting yourself means looking at yourself every day and treating yourself like you would treat someone you loved most in the world,” said Kristofer, 13. “If you do drugs, you really don’t have self-confidence and you don’t respect yourself."

Topics: red ribbon, red ribbon week, red ribbon theme, 2015 red ribbon theme

Sonia Ledger, Student Assistance and Family Empowerment Coordinator at Cypress Creek High School in Orlando, works with a team of 12-15 student volunteers to deliver Informed Families' year-round prevention messages to their peers at every possible opportunity.

"We educate students and parents together during parent nights, we establish a presence at football games and other events, and we've even interacted with audience members during intermission at school plays," says Ledger. "We want to reach people where they are."

Sonia is being recognized in our Ambassador Spotlight for her commitment and success in educating and empowering over 3,000 students at the high school each year.

Ledger participates in each campaign and works with her teen volunteers to creatively and strategically navigate the school environment to reach as many students and parents as possible. Ledger possesses the will, drive and determination to prevent students from engaging in substance abuse and other risky behaviors. Furthermore, Ledger's passion for the work inspires us to continue to provide the best resources possible to our Ambassadors.

Whenever a new Informed Families Ambassador Tool Kit becomes available, Sonia can hardly contain her excitement.

"I'm very enthusiastic about receiving the latest toolkit," says Ledger, who is in her second year as an Ambassador at Cypress Creek High School in Orlando. "There's so much great information that you provide and I love the campaign materials."

Thank you, Sonia, for your dedication to helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug free.

 

Topics: red ribbon week, pledges, ambassadors, campaigns, high school, orlando