16 Florida Schools and Organizations Named Informed Families All Stars for Their Efforts to Prevent Teen Drug and Alcohol Use

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Jun 15, 2017, 10:00 ET

MIAMI, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Informed Families, a Florida nonprofit devoted to helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug-free, is proud to announce its All Star Schools for 2017. Sixteen Florida schools and organizations received the honor for this school year.

Informed Families created the All Star program to recognize the success schools and community organizations are achieving through drug and alcohol prevention efforts. To be eligible for All Star status, schools must complete the four prevention campaigns Informed Families sponsors throughout the school year:

Family Day
Red Ribbon Week
Lock Your Meds
Safe Homes, Smart Parties

"Ambassadors"—usually teachers, guidance counselors, or administrators—at each school manage these campaigns on the local level. Informed Families provides ambassadors everything they need and equips them with the information necessary to create a safer, healthier environment that fosters student success, both in the short term and the long run.

Schools and organizations honored as All Stars will receive $1,000 of prevention merchandise from NIMCO, Inc. for the next school year. The 16 honorees are:

Merritt Island High School; ambassador Elizabeth Vance, principal Mollie Vega
Coral Glades High School (Coral Springs); ambassador Toni Freeborn, principal Steven G. Carruth
McArthur Elementary School (Pensacola); ambassador Tori Woods, principal Tama Vaughn
Pine Meadow Elementary School (Pensacola); ambassador Chelsea Windham, principal Terri Fina
Grand Ridge School; ambassador Barbara Melvin, principal Laura Kent
Kaley-Lake Como Elementary School (Orlando); ambassador Marquita Outlaw, principal Isolda Antonio Fisher
Olympia High School (Orlando); ambassador Molly Sidwell, principal Guy Swenson
Freedom Middle School (Orlando); ambassador Carol Swanburg, principal Cheri Godek
Athenian Academy (Clearwater); ambassador Heather Smith-Levin, principal Kathy Hershelman
Freeport Middle School; ambassador Laura Estes, principal Joshua Harrison
Norland Elementary (Miami); ambassador Maria Chandon, principal Dr. Christina Ravelo
Collier County Public Schools; county ambassador Tracy Bowen
Keller Intermediate School; ambassador Anne Lewis, principal David Davis
LaBelle High School SADD/SWAT; ambassador Augusta Ross, principal David Kelly
Community Housing Partners (Marion County); ambassador Diane McElveen
Sumter Community Action Partnership; ambassador Rozanne Grady

"Our All Star program was a resounding success in 2016-17," says Peggy B. Sapp, President and CEO of Informed Families and President of the National Family Partnership. "The organizations that we honored took their prevention efforts to the next level, ultimately to the benefit of the students they are trying to keep safe. We congratulate these All Star schools and organizations, and we thank all the schools and organizations that participated in the prevention campaigns we sponsored."

More information about this year's All Star honorees can be found at https://www.informedfamilies.org/blog/introducing-the-informed-families-2017-all-star-schools. To learn more about the Informed Families ambassador program, the campaigns it offers, and how to become an All Star School, visit the organization's website at https://www.informedfamilies.org.

About Informed Families
The mission of Informed Families, a non-profit organization founded in 1982, is helping kids grow up safe, healthy and drug-free. Informed Families focuses on educating, involving and empowering parents to work together to set boundaries and monitor their children's behavior to prevent underage drinking, substance abuse and other harmful behaviors. Affiliated with the National Family Partnership, Informed Families is best known for being the Florida Sponsor of the National Red Ribbon Campaign. Informed Families also boasts multiple school and community based prevention programs targeting youth, parents and communities. For more information on Informed Families, please visit informedfamilies.org, or call (305) 856-4886.

SOURCE Informed Families