Congratulations Lakeland Area Winners of Red Ribbon Rallies Poster, Poetry & Essay Contests

InnerAct Alliance is proud to announce the winners of its Poster, Poetry and Essay Contests for Fifth Grade Students in the greater Lakeland area schools. Contest participants will be recognized during the Red Ribbon Rallies, which take place this morning at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at The Lakeland Center.

The anti-drug rallies focus on reinforcing critical substance abuse resistance skills before students enter middle school in the fall. Students were challenged to use their creative talents to compose essays, write poems, or draw posters to illustrate topical messages about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Overall winners in each category will be awarded cash prizes of $100 (first place), $50 (second place), and $25 (third place) in each contest category.

Guest speaker for the Rallies is Patrick T. Grady, a former middle and high school educator who travels throughout North America inspiring and encouraging individuals to do their best in all of their endeavors. Grady is the author of the book titled, “Who Packs the Parachute,” and co-author of “Teen Power Too,” and the book, “Teen Power and Beyond.” Community leaders will also be on hand to encourage the choice of a positive, healthy lifestyle without the use of drugs.

Another rally for Winter Haven and Haines City area schools will be held next Thursday, May 12, at 10:00 a.m. in the Polk State College Gym. Contest winners for those schools will be announced next week.

The mission of InnerAct Alliance is to reduce the abuse and underage use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs through: Community Awareness and Involvement; Prevention Education; Economic Support; and Leadership Development. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency is proud to offer substance abuse prevention to the Hardee, Highlands and Polk County communities with services including science-based education in elementary and middle schools, drug-free puppet shows, informative presentations and family-oriented awareness events that touch the lives of youth, parents, families, businesses, faith-based organizations, community groups and others in need with an important substance abuse message.

For further information on the Fifth Grade Rallies on May 3rd and 12th, please call InnerAct Alliance at (863) 802-0777.

Congratulations to the Lakeland Area Winners of 2011 Red Ribbon Rallies Poster, Essay & Poetry Contest

Blake Academy
Poster - Jaime Lara
Poetry - Parris Chaloux
Essay - Zack Nabinger

Carlton Palmore
Poster - Ixchel Collazo
Poetry - Caitlin Wizda
Essay - Francisco Feliu

Churchwell
Poster - Alyssa Seda
Poetry - Alexa Estremera
Essay - Tiana Jones

Cleveland Court
Poetry - Sydney Braggs

Combee
Poster - Kaylee Martin
Poetry - Kaley May
Essay - Peyton Carter

Crystal Lake
Poster - Hailey Nicolodi
Poetry - Deion Sheffield
Essay - Rashell Fernandez

Dixieland
Poster - Gabrela Vazquez
Poetry - Shawn Saddler
Essay - Zari Bouie

Griffin
Poetry - Tracey Seeden

Highlands Grove
Poster - April Gore
Poetry - Christian Walsted
Essay - Madison McDaniel

Jesse Keen
Poster - Lizeth Miranda

Kathleen
Poster - Danielle Hall
Poetry - Kori Love

Kingsford
Poster - Jaelee Lynn Bridgehan

Lincoln
Poster - Alana Jones
Poetry - Cody Dasher
Essay - Jackson Jeffares

McKeel Academy
Poster - Levi Combee and Emily Battle
Poetry - Adam Burse
Essay - Madison Smith

Medulla
Poster - Kara Stephenson
Poetry - Abbilene Fauteux
Essay - Leann Burge

N.E. Roberts
Poetry - Logan Gutierrez
Essay - Tyler Alderman

North Lakeland
Poster - Chi-Chi Nevarez
Poetry - Steven Little
Essay - Mahogani Palmore

Oscar J. Pope
Poster - Cassidy Boardman
Poetry - John Whittle
Essay - Michele Trejo

Padgett
Poster - Bradley Kuell
Poetry - Lorena Gomez
Essay - Kadija Abualteen

Purcell
Poster - Luisa Morin
Poetry - Jordyn Edgell
Essay - Elizabeth Kelly

R. Bruce Wagner
Poster - Didi Corbett

Rochelle School of the Arts
Poster - Aljeron Sanders
Poetry - Emily Reynolds
Essay - Jocelin McGrath

S.McKeel Academy
Poster - Sydney Rivera
Poetry - Ashley Lento
Essay - Brooke Drawdy

Scott Lake
Poster - Landon Press

Sleepy Hill
Poetry - Tanyia Hayes
Essay - Kailiyah Williams

Socrum
Poster - Autumn Jackson
Essay - Haley Burns

Southwest
Poster - Hannah Townley
Poetry - Nicole Castro

Spessard Holland
Poster - Tashelle Barrow
Poetry - Kelsey Rickey
Essay - Taylor Dye

St. Anthony
Poster - David Homuth
Poetry - Rysse McCleave

St. Joseph
Poster - Claire Gill
Poetry - Alexandria McCullum
Essay - Audrey Fisher

St. Paul
Poster - Jessalyn Ready
Poetry - Alee Judge
Essay - Devin Moore

Wendall Watson
Poster - Katie Harwell
Poetry - Nathan Lawwell
Essay - Ayeilie Mel

Lakeland Area Rallies Contest Overall Prize Winners

Poster Category:

1st Place - $100.00 - Levi Combee, McKeel Elementary Academy
2nd Place - $ 50.00 - Chi-Chi Nevarez, North Lakeland Elementary
3rd Place - $ 25.00 - Aljeron Sanders, Rochelle School of the Arts

Poetry Category:

1st Place - $100.00 - Ashley Lento, South McKeel Academy
2nd Place - $ 50.00 - Caitlin Wizda, Carlton Palmore
3rd Place - $ 25.00 - Adam Burse, McKeel Elementary Academy

Essay Category:

1st Place - $100.00 - Brooke Drawdy, South McKeel Academy
2nd Place - $ 50.00 - Madison Smith, McKeel Elementary Academy
3rd Place - $ 25.00 - Zack Nabinger, Blake Academy

School with the Most Contest Participants Overall – Highlands Grove

Rx Pill Drop Today & Tomorrow!

Bring your unwanted Human and Pet Medication to the second National Prescription Drug Take-Back being held at various locations throughout Lakeland and Polk County today, Friday, April 29th and tomorrow, Saturday, April 30th!

StandUP Polk, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Polk, and law enforcement agencies are hosting our community’s Purge Your Pills Rx Drop Off at 11 locations in Hardee and Polk Counties listed below.

Medications should be kept in a clear, air-tight plastic bag.


Drop off locations TODAY - Friday, April 29 - 9AM to 1PM are:

Home Instead Senior Care – 601 South Florida Avenue, Lakeland, FL
Hawthorne Inn of Lakeland – 6150 Lakeland Highlands Road, Lakeland, FL

Drop-off locations TOMORROW - Saturday, April 30 - 9AM to 1PM are:

Auburndale Police Department – 2 Bobby Green Plaza, Auburndale, FL
City of Zolfo Springs Sheriff Substation – US 17 (Town Hall Bldg), Zolfo Springs, FL
Florida Dept. of Transportation – 801 N.Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL – Hosted by Bartow Police Dept.
Davenport Police Department – 17 Market Street, Davenport, FL
Haines City Police Department – 35400 Highway 27, Haines City, FL
Hardee County Sheriff’s Office – 900 East Summit Street, Wauchula, FL
Lake Alfred Police Department – 190 North Seminole Avenue, Lake Alfred, FL
Lake Wales Police Department – 133 East Tillman Avenue, Lake Wales, FL
Lakeland Police Department – 219 N. Massachusetts Avenue, Lakeland, FL
Winter Haven Police Department – 125 North Lake Silver Drive NW, Winter Haven, FL
Wauchula Police Department - 128 South 7th Street, Wauchula, FL

Two countywide prescription medication collections held by StandUP Polk and its coalition and law enforcement partners in spring and fall 2010 resulted in an estimated 650 pounds of recovered pharmaceuticals that were safely disposed of via incineration.

For more information on the local Pill Drop event or locations, please contact StandUP Polk/InnerAct Alliance at (863) 802-0777.

Purge Your Pills Rx Drop Off on April 30th

Here’s your opportunity to start spring cleaning right in your own medicine cabinet! On Saturday, April 30, 2011, the Drug Enforcement Administration and its national and community partners will host the second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day.

StandUP Polk, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Polk, and local law enforcement agencies in Hardee and Polk counties are proud to join in the DEA’s nationwide event and host our community’s Purge Your Pills Rx Drop Off on April 30th at the 11 locations in Hardee and Polk Counties listed below. Citizens may turn in unused, expired, or unwanted Human and Pet Medications for safe and proper disposal. Medications should be kept in a clear, air-tight plastic bag.



Drop-off locations on Saturday, April 30th, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM are:

Auburndale Police Department – 2 Bobby Green Plaza, Auburndale, FL
City of Zolfo Springs Sheriff Substation – US 17 (Town Hall Bldg), Zolfo Springs, FL
Florida Dept. of Transportation – 801 N.Broadway Ave., Bartow, FL – Hosted by Bartow Police Dept.
Davenport Police Department – 17 Market Street, Davenport, FL
Haines City Police Department – 35400 Highway 27, Haines City, FL
Hardee County Sheriff’s Office – 900 East Summit Street, Wauchula, FL
Lake Alfred Police Department – 190 North Seminole Avenue, Lake Alfred, FL
Lake Wales Police Department – 133 East Tillman Avenue, Lake Wales, FL
Lakeland Police Department – 219 N. Massachusetts Avenue, Lakeland, FL
Winter Haven Police Department – 125 North Lake Silver Drive NW, Winter Haven, FL
Wauchula Police Department - 128 South 7th Street, Wauchula, FL

For those who are unable to make it to the Pill Drop Off on April 30th, Home Instead Senior Care is also partnering with StandUP Polk to host a drive-up Rx Drop Off on Friday April 29, 2011, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM at two additional locations in Lakeland:

Home Instead Senior Care – 601 South Florida Avenue, Lakeland, FL
Hawthorne Inn of Lakeland – 6150 Lakeland Highlands Road, Lakeland, FL

Two countywide prescription medication collections held by StandUP Polk and its coalition and law enforcement partners in spring and fall 2010 resulted in an estimated 650 pounds of recovered pharmaceuticals. Medications were safely disposed of via incineration. The coalition partners plan to host future pill drop events and hope to establish a permanent pill drop off venue in the county soon to assist residents in proper disposal of unused prescription medications in an environmentally safe manner, and help decrease the availability of expired or unwanted medications to reduce prescription drugs abuse.

This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health, more Americans currently abuse prescription drugs than the number of those using cocaine, hallucinogens, and heroin combined. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are growing at an alarming rate, especially among teens, who report finding painkillers, stimulants, depressants, and other medications to abuse right in their own family medicine cabinet. Preventing youth from gaining access to prescription and over-the-counter drugs is an important step to prevent and stop this epidemic.

For more information on the local Pill Drop event or locations, please contact StandUP Polk/InnerAct Alliance at (863) 802-0777.

Annual Fifth Grade Red Ribbon Rallies Coming Up In May

Nearly 6,000 fifth grade students in Polk County have been invited to participate in InnerAct Alliance’s 2011 Red Ribbon Rallies! Rallies in Lakeland are scheduled on Tuesday, May 3rd at 9:30 AM and 11:30 AM at The Lakeland Center. Fifth graders from Haines City and Winter Haven area schools will gather on Thursday, May 12th, at 10:00AM, at the Polk State College Gym in Winter Haven.

The anti-drug motivational rallies focus on reinforcing critical substance abuse resistance skills before students enter middle school in the fall. Nationally known speaker, Patrick T. Grady, community leaders, and radio personalities from WONN/WPCF/WLKF/WWRZ will address the students to encourage the choice of a positive, healthy lifestyle without the use of drugs.

Fifth graders have been challenged to compete in a special contest to create original essays, poems, and posters that convey topical anti-drug messages about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Contest participants will be recognized during the rallies and overall first place winners in each contest category will receive cash prizes of $100, $50 and $25.

Bath Salts - The New Danger Drug

While efforts to outlaw synthetic marijuana compounds found in herbal incense products such as K2 and Spice have garnered the spotlight lately, another dangerous drug has emerged causing even greater concern among health professionals – Bath Salts.

Florida and several other states have recently banned, or are considering banning, the sale of these packets of white powder sold in smoke shops and convenience stores under brand names like Ivory Wave, Vanilla Sky, Zoom 2, Pixie Dust, Sextacy, Ocean Burst, Purple Rain, Hurricane Charlie, and many more.

Users of bath salts snort, inject, or smoke the powder, which acts as a stimulant to produce a cocaine and meth-like high. The stimulants in these products affect neurotransmitters in the brain, which can cause hallucinations, paranoia, rapid heartbeat, violent behavior, and suicidal thoughts.

Across the country, there have been an increasing number of reports from hospital emergency rooms and poison control centers about cases of exposure to the chemicals in bath salt powders, containing mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone, also known as MDPV. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, there were 291 calls in 2010 about people hospitalized after bath salt abuse. Reports of usage spiked up to 373 cases in the first month of 2011.

For more information or medical assistance after contact with bath salts, contact the FL Poison Information Center in Tampa at 1-800-222-1222.

Keeping Kids Safe: On Bikes & Off Drugs!

On Sunday morning, April 3rd, the fun place to be was the Kid’s Bike Race and Bicycle Rodeo at Central Park in Downtown Winter Haven. The event, held in conjunction with the Annual Chain of Lakes Cycling Classic, included a bike rodeo, free bicycle helmets and fittings, and bike safety.

In the photo, Lisa Jones, Coalition Coordinator for StandUP Polk/UthMpact/InnerAct Alliance, lines up participants for the Bike Rodeo. InnerAct Staff was also on hand to share drug prevention materials with parents and kids. Statistics show that the average age kids are offered a gateway drug is 11.5, yet most parents don’t talk to their kids about drugs until 11th grade.

Event sponsors were Safe Kids Florida Suncoast, All Children’s Hospital, Florida Dept. of Transportation, Cycling Classics, Inc., Tammy and Ronnie Edmiston, InnerAct Alliance, and StandUP Polk.

LPD Unveils Our Community's First "Be The Wall" Support Wall

InnerAct Alliance and StandUP Polk, the Coalition for a Drug-Free Polk, are proud to be working with a pro-active group of coalition members, which includes the Lakeland Police Department, Polk County Schools, Florida Department of Children and Families, the Florida Office of Drug Control, and many other local partners, in the innovative statewide Be the Wall social marketing campaign that encourages parents to be consistent and steadfast in discouraging underage drinking.

InnerAct staff and coalition members were on hand at the Lakeland Police Department’s Open House on March 19, 2011 to welcome our new police chief, Linda Womack, and share drug prevention materials with parents and kids. Statistics show that the average age kids are offered a gateway drug is 11.5, yet most parents don’t talk to their kids about drugs until 11th grade.

The Lakeland Police Department showed their enthusiastic support by unveiling a visible structure on which parents and influential adults could display cardboard bricks with their signed pledge to Be Clear, Be Firm, Be Consistent…Be The Wall when it comes to keeping alcohol out of the hands of teens. Special thanks to Florida Crime Prevention Practitioners, Anna Ricks (l) and Kim Freeman (r), pictured in the photo above/left standing beside Polk County’s first law enforcement agency support “wall” that they helped spearhead as partners in our community’s Be The Wall Campaign.

The Be The Wall campaign is designed on the premise that while alcohol may be the primary substance of choice for teens across the state and country, underage drinking should be the single most preventable at risk behavior among our teenagers. Recent scientific research shows the adolescent brain is still developing well into the mid-20s. The studies illustrate that teens are wired to take risks, which may help to explain why they are especially prone to rebellious and impulsive behavior.

Help us be the wall between teens and alcohol. Join thousands of Florida parents who have taken the pledge to keep alcohol out of the hands of our kids at www.bethewall.org. For tips on how to talk with your teen, please call StandUP Polk at (863) 802-0777.