Drug-Free Looks Like Me!

HEROES! JUST FOR ONE DAY…AT A TIME –

Oct. 8, 2021 – Sponsored by Somerset County Drug-Free Communities, Hoover and Updyke spoke as living examples to this year’s theme – “Drug-Free Looks Like Me” sharing their stories to remind the county’s youth that addiction can happen to anyone.

And even more importantly, recovery can, too, said Hoover, who now works as a recovery specialist, helping drug users find their own path to sobriety. Friday’s event, held at Somerset County Courthouse, marked the 36th year the county observed Red Ribbon Week. The campaign was created in memory of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Drug Enforcement Administration agent who lost his life working to dismantle drug cartels that were poisoning his community and country. Over the past three decades, Somerset Drug-Free Communities has marked Red Ribbon Week with anti-drug poster contests, essays and now videos across Somerset County’s public and private schools.

With COVID-19 still a threat, this year’s rally was livestreamed to students across the county – and the public as well, said Rebecca Mull, community program coordinator for UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Twin Lakes.