New Name for Local Anti-Abuse Group

By Donna Wiesenhahn

“Hello, nice to meet you! I represent the Fayette County Mayor’s Alliance on Substance Abuse Coalition and the Fayette Agency for Substance Abuse Policy Board.

“We have a website called drugfreefayette as well as the Keep It Real website and we collaborate with Bluegrass Prevention Center.”

How confusing is that?

Yet that is exactly what all the dedicated coalition and board members would go through to explain where they volunteer.

We knew there must be an easier way.

That’s what leads to change and provides the background to the change we’re rolling out in our Lexington Family Magazine advertisements.

The marketing and public relations committee, headed by Greg Hiles of the Fayette County Health Department, took on the mission of creating a user friendly tag-line that captures our mission – the prevention of underage alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and prescription drug use/abuse in Fayette County.

The result: DrugFreeLex.

We hope you like it!

For nine years, Lexington Family Magazine was a valuable partner in the Keep It Real campaign. That was a community effort, which included an online video contest in which high school students created 30-second videos with an anti-underage drinking message.

Funding for the Keep It Real initiative ended in May, but that has not ended our resolve to keep our young people free from the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, prescription drugs (not prescribed for them) or any new drugs that come down the pike.

It is a time for a re-branding, a new look that draws attention to our commitment to living in a healthy community where the developing brains of adolescents are protected from harmful drugs.

If you want to get involved in our mission, please join us. (Meeting times are located on the website.)

Are we always looking for new gifts and talents? Absolutely!

This group is constantly seeking new grants, so anyone with knowledge of grant sources or grant-writing skills will be warmly welcomed.

Some of our volunteers have been around for 25+ years, solely because they know that today’s youth are our future – therefore, worth our time and energy.

If you haven’t checked us out, please do at www.drugfreelex.com.