CES sponsors hero, Mr. Andre’ Buford at the 2014 DRUG-FREE HERO AWARDS on Capitol Hill
CES takes drug education seriously! That’s why we were invited to Capitol Hill, to an awards ceremony for a handful of incredible drug education heroes! CES went one step further…We presented a Florida Drug-Free hero’s story and then sponsored his trip to be an awardee!
CES Director of Community Relations, Lynn Posyton with Drug-Free Hero, Andre Buford, Principal B.E.S.T Academy, Brooksville, FL
Our friend and fellow drug educator, Mr. Andre’ Buford with all the 2014 Drug Free Heroes! Mr. Buford spoke to a distinguished group of guests and presented his story of educating and even salvaging many incarcerated women under his educational care in Hernando County Women’s prison.
He shared personal stories of the inmate’s triumphs in fully understanding the TRUTH about drugs, all thanks to the program.
As a result of Andre’s effots, approximately 600 women to date have completed the entire Truth About Drugs educational program in the facility.
Andre Buford is truly a Drug-Free Hero and a wonderful friend to children and society as a whole!
CES is honored to host Andre at the event and we will continue to partner top partner in future events together.
Here is the whole story of the event:
Actress Erika Christensen, several members of Congress and the award-deserving recipients who have devoted their lives to drug education and prevention came together for this 2014 Drug-Free Heroes Award Event.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hollywood actress Erika Christensen, star of NBC’s prime-time, one-hour drama Parenthood for the past five seasons, was the MC of the 2014 Drug-Free Hero Awards on June 25th at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.
U.S. Congressmen Bobby Scott (D-VA), Rick Nolan (D-MN) and Steve Stivers (R-OH) presented the awards to their respective constituent recipients.
Each year the Drug-Free Hero Awards are presented to individuals who have utilized and implemented these educational aids and programs at a grass roots level to impact their communities by educating youth on the dangers and pitfalls of drugs.
Drug education was a strong part of Christensen’s upbringing and she has been a strong advocate of drug education and prevention since she was a teenager. Her commitment to drug prevention strengthened while researching the role of Caroline Wakefield, the crack cocaine addicted daughter of Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas) in what is arguably the most important film on illegal drug trade in the history of American cinema, Traffic. Christensen stated, “I studied the effects of different drugs and what they did to the body to play the role with realism. Then I interviewed drug addicts who were my age, 17 or 18, who going through rehab to get off drugs. The experiences they related to me were part of what made my role in the film so real…and frightening.”
For the role, Erika Christensen was named one of People magazine’s “Breakthrough Stars of 2001”. For her performance as a cocaine addict in Traffic (2000) she received the awards for Female Breakthrough Performance at the MTV Movie Awards, Female Standout Performance at the Young Hollywood Awards, and Outstanding Performance by a Cast Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Mr. John Redman, Executive Director, Californians for Drug-Free Youth (CADFY) presented an informative slide-show, showing crucial statistics and painted the very current scene regarding drug use on the steep rise from increased access due to legalization efforts in many states!
John, himself, received a well-deserved Drug-Free Hero award for his constant efforts in helping our society every day by his actions in drug education and sound drug policy advocacy. Mr. Redman also detailed his coordinated efforts of “The Baja Project” whereby a million of the Truth About Drugs Booklets produced by the Foudation for a Drug-Free World (FDFW) were distributed in the region.
The event was co-hosted by the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, and the Church of Scientology National Office.
The Foundation for a Drug-Free World (FDFW) is a non-profit that provides youth and adults with factual information about drugs which empowers them to choose not to avoid drugs in the first place.
The Foundation provides drug education booklets and videos that are ordered on-line, free of charge. The materials contain no religious content, and are designed for anyone wanting to find out the truth about drugs, whether they are part of any religious organization or not. The International Association of Scientologists provides the funding for the production and distribution of the materials internationally.
John Scherbenske, Section Chief, Synthetic Drugs and Chemicals, Office of Diversion Control. U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent Scherbenske has been a Special Agent with the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) since 1991 and worked in the Washington, DC and Richmond, VA field offices investigating both international and domestic high-level drug trafficking organizations.
Special Agent Scherbenske oversees and coordinates major precursor chemical, clandestine laboratory and synthetic drug investigations.
CES will do its part to get the TRUTH about Synthetic Drugs to the community!
The drugs are highly toxic chemicals, sprayed onto minced tea leaves or other plants, and then marketed as ordinary household items such as “bath salts”, “spice” and “incense” while being labeled as “not for human consumption”. Touted as a “safer, legal alternative” by some retailers, synthetic drugs in actual fact produce similar highs to Schedule 1 drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine, but the chemical compounds are slightly different, allowing manufacturers to stay ahead of drug laws and sell the products legally in convenience stores and gas stations.
Synthetic drugs have exploded in popularity in recent years, and according to the US DEA, the largest user-population of synthetic drugs are teens, aged 12-17.
There were many other amazing Drug-Free Heroes, all of whom work in effective and personal ways to educate others on the TRUTH about drugs.
Their stories include personal sacrifices and triumph in doing honest good for others and for the sole purpose of saving. 
There was Wayne Campbell, President and Founder of Tyler’s Light, an organization named after Wayne’s son, Tyler, who died tragically of an accidental heroin overdose in July 2011 after a fight with addiction to prescription pain medication. Tyler’s Light is a non-profit organization bringing awareness to communities across Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Indiana about the dangers of prescription and illegal drug use. Their mantra: “Speak Up! Save a Life!”
The tragedy of losing a son is one that we should hope never to know personally. Mr. Campbell has retired from his profession in transportation and logistics to help others. He works tirelessly to do so, and for that he is a hero!
Our hearts pour out with love for a mother whose son named Louie succumbed to drug addiction and lost his life at age 24. Felicia Miceli wanted to do something to prevent the tragedy of losing a son to a heroin overdose from happening to other families. She formed the: LTM Heroin Awareness and Support Foundation, Inc. The Foundation has presented over 40 forums and has reached over 30,000 people in the last 10 months! www.LTMFoundation.org
These women work non-stop to educate the public regarding the heroin epidemic and to provide extensive resource materials, eagerly using materials from the Truth about Drugs program to the masses of people they speak to. 
Chief Loewen has taught drug education classes at Northeast Range School for 15 years. This is Chad’s favorite part of his job in law enforcement. He is a true family man who raised his children in Babbitt, which is a small mining town of about 1600 people near the Canadian border. Even a small town like Babbitt has the scourge of drug abuse and deaths relating to it. Chad ensures he educates children in school on the TRUTH about Drugs. He uses the program from the Foundation for a Drug Free World in his classes.
Maria Roosevelt is the “heart” of her community. As the Executive Director of the Heart of Vermont Chamber of Commerce since 2007, her love of her community is boundless. She saw a huge problem with drugs in her pristine, idyllic setting in the green beauty of Vermont. And she had to do something about it.
Her interest in confronting the problem of illicit drug use stems from her observation of its negative impact on the quality of life in Vermont. She used the information booklets from the Foundation for a Drug Free World as one of her tools. She got thousands of booklets distributed by way of newspaper circulation throughout her state.
Maria’s insight and skills have landed her a position on the Vermont state Police’s advisory committee for her district.
