President's Message - May 2022
The work that Informed Families has been doing for 40 years is so important that it was officially recognized last night by the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, at our 37th Annual Dinner at Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant in Miami.
It was also an opportunity to celebrate and remember one of our very special founding members, Mary Eaton. Mary died unexpectedly from a fall on New Year’s Day, but we know she was with us last night in spirit. Mary was an angel among us, her smile lit up the room, and she dedicated her life to helping Informed Families eradicate the scourge of illegal drug use.What Mary was fighting for, and what we’ve been championing these last 40 years, is to bring families, schools, and the community together to help combat the pain and grief and ruined lives that drugs and alcohol cause.
As Governor DeSantis wrote in his proclamation honoring our organization, “Informed Families [brings] diverse people and communities together to address drug pervasiveness and its impact on children and families.”
Read the full letter at the end of this message.
It’s all about community
Coming from different areas, religions, and beliefs, the founders of Informed Families understood that drugs affect everyone and the entire society.And the Miami community has aided us in our endeavor, by understanding that no individual or group can solve America’s drug problem alone. As the expression goes, “it takes a village” to help children grow up safe, healthy, and drug-free.
Drug use and abuse knows no socio-economic, educational, cultural, racial, or political distinctions. The heartbreak of drug abuse has affected Americans across all boundaries. That’s why Informed Families’ mission for 40 years has been to bring diverse people and communities together to work on solving this problem.
Spurred by First Lady Nancy Reagan’s national parent movement, Informed Families has created a number of initiatives toward this goal: the Lock Your Meds campaign, Family Day, the Safe Homes Smart Parents movement, and of course the Red Ribbon Campaign, launched in honor of DEA agent Kiki Camarina, who was killed by drug traffickers in 1985.
We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in four decades, and how many lives we’ve been able to save. And we salute people like Mary Eaton, and Joe’s Stone Crab restaurant, as well as all the attendees at last night’s annual dinner who for 37 years have funded our educational outreach efforts.
-Peggy Sapp, President & CEO
