Students from Yorbita Elementary in La Puente released more than 100 red balloons on Friday with student pledges to be “drug free” in celebration of Red Ribbon Week. Each year thousands of schools across the U.S. celebrate “Red Ribbon Week” October 23- 31 to promote drug abuse prevention in honor of DEA Special Agent “Kiki” Camarena. His death sparked a grass roots campaign to reduce the demand for drugs and encourage healthy, violence-free lifestyles.
Principal Sylvia Cadena and the entire school was honored to have the wife of “Kiki” Camarena, “Mika” Camarena, who is president of the Camarena Foundation lead the balloon release. Holding her red balloon, she read to the students her pledge: “My commitment is to continue my work with Red Ribbon until my last breath.” The balloons filled the sky as students cheered.
"Thank you so much to our amazing PTA parents who made this such a beautiful event for our students and our wonderful Red Ribbon Week lead teacher Kris Mendoza. A very special thank you goes out to RUSD School Police Chief Don Fernald who made this event possible, thanks to his personal connection with Mika Camarena." -- Principal Cadena