October 2009 Calendar Resources

Binge Drinking/Alcohol Poisoning Awareness Month (October 1-31)
National Walk Our Children to School Month (October)
National Walk Our Children to School Day (October 7)
National Depression Screening Day (October 8)
Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day (October 10)
CHARACTER COUNTS! Week (October 18-24)
America’s Safe Schools Week (October 18-24)
National School Bus Safety Week (October 19-23)
National Health Education Week (October 17-23)
National Red Ribbon Celebration (October 23-31)
Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence: Students Pledge Against Gun Violence (October 21)
Make a Difference Day (October 24) 4th Saturday every October

Binge Drinking/Alcohol Poisoning Awareness Month (October 1-31)

Website: www.aap.org/advocacy/chm98bin.htm

What is binge drinking? Binge drinking is defined as four drinks for women and five drinks for men in one afternoon or one evening, typically over a four-hour period. If an individual were to drink this amount in less than an hour, the risks are even greater.

What is alcohol poisoning? Alcohol poisoning is a severe, physical reaction to an overdose of alcohol. Alcohol poisoning is deadly, bombarding the brain and depriving it of oxygen. The brain, struggling to deal with the overdose of alcohol and lack of oxygen, begins to shut down the voluntary functions that regulate breathing and heart rate.

Binge drinking and alcohol poisoning are deadly, and everyone should be aware of the symptoms.

RID-USA has a seventeen minute video, Without Warning, which includes a discussion and speaker’s guide. This is a great video to educate your peers and even middle school students about binge drinking and alcohol poisoning. For more information about this video and the cost, call RID at 518-372-0034.

SYMPTOMS OF ALCOHOL POISONING

Person is known to have consumed large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time.
Person is unconscious and cannot be awakened.
Person has cold, clammy, unusually pale or bluish skin.
Person is breathing slowly or irregularly – usually this means less than eight times a minute or ten seconds or more between any two breaths.
Person vomits while passed out and does not wake up during or after.

WHAT TO DO

Call for help - 911 is always a good bet. Don't hesitate or worry about what the person will think when he or she sobers up.
Stand by your decision. Stand up for your friendship. You did the right thing based on your best judgment!

National Walk Our Children to School Month (October 1-31)

National Walk Our Children to School Day (October 7)

Website: www.walktoschool-usa.org

Each October, millions of children, parents, teachers and community leaders across the globe walk to school to celebrate International Walk to School Day and, since 2003, International Walk to School Week. It is an energizing event, reminding parents and children alike of the simple joy of walking to school. It also serves as an opportunity to focus on the importance of physical activity, safety, air quality and walkable communities. Walk to School activities often become a catalyst for on-going efforts to increase safe walking and bicycling all of the time.

National Depression Screening Day (October 8)

Website: www.mentalhealthscreening.org/events/ndsd/index.aspx

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 17 million Americans each year develop depression. Recent research indicates the number may be even higher, closer to 20 million. One thing on which researchers agree is that less than half of the people suffering from depression actually receive treatment. Yet, one out of every five adults may experience a depression at some point in their lives. Twice as many women as men suffer from depression, although everybody, including children, can develop the illness. The following web site offers more information and related activities.

Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day (October 10)

Website: www.brakesonfatalities.org

Did you know 116 of our fellow citizens, almost all of whom are someone's friend, family and most beloved become a statistic each day? They are dying in tragic and what are most often preventable accidents on our nation's roadways.

Put the Brakes on Fatalities Day® was initiated by the National Society of Professional Engineers and joined by many partners who are working to lower this statistic. Their efforts to reduce fatalities address the need for improvements to our roadways, our vehicles and basic driver behavior. You too can become involved to promote the reduction of fatalities by utilizing information on this web site: http://www.brakesonfatalities.org. Tell your co-workers, family members, friends, and students to do the same.

Character Counts Week (October 18-24)

Website: www.charactercounts.org

Character Counts Week (CC! Week) is always the third week in October. It is an opportunity to remember and reward students/faculty/administration of good character. The following six core ethical values form the foundation of the CHARACTER COUNTS! youth-ethics initiative. More detailed discussion of the Six Pillars is included in Making Ethical Decisions, a Josephson Institute booklet available at http://www.josephsoninstitute.org/MED/MED-2sixpillars.htm.

Ways to Celebrate National CC! Week http://www.charactercounts.org/ccweek-ideas.htm

Educate your school about CHARACTER COUNTS! and arrange a ceremony where the principal issues a CC! Week proclamation for your school. Honor local heroes by conducting an awards ceremony for them.
Prepare a CC! article or advertisement in the school paper. Include the Six Pillars of Character or character in general.
Announce upcoming CC! Week activities on the morning announcements.
Make a banner or poster that reads “CHARACTER COUNTS! in (name of your school).” Display it in a busy area of the school.
Get permission to paint an unsightly wall with a colorful design related to the Six Pillars. Have a contest to determine which design you will use, then recruit young people to paint it.
Ask local banks and utility companies to mention the Six Pillars and CC! Week on monthly statements.

America’s Safe Schools Week (October 18-24)

Website: www.schoolsafety.us/Safe-Schools-Week-p-24.html

This campaign is to motivate key education and law enforcement policymakers, as well as students, parents and community residents, to vigorously advocate school safety. School safety includes keeping campuses free of crime and violence, improving discipline, and increasing student attendance. Schools that are safe and free of violence, weapons and drugs are necessary to ensure the well-being of all children and the quality of their education. Information on conducting a Safe Schools Week at your school can be found at http://www.schoolsafety.us.

National School Bus Safety Week (October 19-23)

Website: www.napt.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=7

National School Bus Safety Week is always held the third full week of October. The National School Bus Safety Speech Contest challenges high school students across the country to speak out about school transportation safety.

National Health Education Week (October 17-23)

Website: www.nche.org

It is always the third week in October each year. The following website has more ideas and information.

National Red Ribbon Celebration (October 23-31)

Website: www.nfp.org

The purpose of the Red Ribbon Campaign is to present a visible commitment to a safe, healthy and drug-free lifestyle. The campaign is designed to: create awareness concerning the problems related to the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs; and to support the decision to live a healthy, drug-free lifestyle.

Red Ribbon Week began in 1988 in honor of DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, who was kidnapped and killed in Mexico in February of 1988. Camarena, then 37, had uncovered a multi-billion dollar drug scam in which he suspected officers of the Mexican Army, police forces and government. As he left his office one day, five men appeared at his side and kidnapped him. His body was found one month later in a shallow grave; he had been tortured and beaten.

The first Red Ribbon Week was proclaimed in 1988 by the U.S. Congress in support of what Agent Camarena stood for. The week is marked by the wearing of a red ribbon to send the message: Live drug-free!

National Red Ribbon Week is the last week of October. SADD chapters are encouraged to celebrate Red Ribbon Week to symbolize their commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle and to create awareness of the problems related to the use of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

The following is a list of a variety of activities your chapter may conduct in conjunction with Red Ribbon Week.

Paint the Town Red - Erect banners and exhibits in your school and in other community locations explaining the symbolism of the red ribbon.
Encourage your city’s mayor to officially proclaim Red Ribbon Week. Plan a community-wide celebration that includes fun activities, live music, games and food. Emphasize that everyone can have fun without drugs.
Decorate your community with red ribbons. Tie them on parking meters, tree branches and park benches.
Distribute red ribbons to students and school personnel and ask them to wear the ribbons all week.
Give out small prizes, such as Hershey’s Kisses or Smarties, to people caught wearing red ribbons later in the week.
Show a video at your school about the danger of tobacco, alcohol and other drug use.
Invite a member of the DEA in your area to speak to the students about the dangerous consequences of using drugs and the legal implications.
Visit your middle school and elementary schools and speak to the students about the symbol of the red ribbon and ask them to wear them as a commitment to be drug-free.
Give out red ribbons and lollipops during your city’s Halloween celebration.
Conduct a red ribbon poster contest in the elementary school depicting dangerous drugs and their consequences.
Host a family Strides for Safety Walk. Present everyone with a red ribbon to wear. Ask kids to write songs or chants they can sing during the walk.
Set up a health fair in your school. Invite local agencies to set up displays and exhibits with hands-on activities emphasizing the consequences of using tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.
Place red ribbons on all school lockers and in teachers’ mailboxes as a reminder to remain drug-free.

Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence: Students Pledge Against Gun Violence (October 21)

Website: www.pledge.org

Be sure to visit their web site for pledges and other information about this important day.

Make a Difference Day (October 24)

Website: http://usaweekend.com/diffday/ideas/idea_generator.html

Make A Difference Day is the most encompassing national day of helping others -- a celebration of neighbors helping neighbors. Everyone can participate. Your project can be as large or as small as you wish! Look around your community and see what needs to be done. The following website is a useful tool to generate ideas: http://usaweekend.com/diffday/ideas/idea_generator.html