Jane's Gang!

LOS ANGELES- 12- and 11-year-old brother and sister, Nick and Sadie James, are being honored for two years of whirlwind activity fighting increasing drug use amongst youth. They will be recognized next month in Washington D.C. along with other regional winners of the "Making My Community Drug Free" contest. The nationwide competition marks the 10th anniversary of the Drug-Free Marshals anti-drug campaign sponsored by the Church of Scientology.

Last month, the two accepted a proclamation from Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn and the LA City Council commending the Drug-Free Marshals on their program's success. Since 1993 more than 3.1 million youth worldwide have taken a pledge to live drug-free lives.

"When it comes to exemplifying what it means to be a Drug-Free Marshal, these two have truly earned the shiny badges they wear," says Cat Tebar, Community Affairs Director of the Church of Scientology of Los Angeles. "They have devoted many hours to reaching out to their peers at health and safety fairs, beach cleanups, 'stop the violence' street events, sporting competitions and festivals. They have personally sworn in thousands of new Drug-Free Marshals. This is a fantastic level of accomplishment for two youngsters not yet in their teens," says Tebar.

"We talk to the adults too," says Nick, referring to presentations such as the one he and his sister made before more than a dozen nightclub owners in Hollywood. "We tell them they should help the Drug-Free Marshals, so we can reach more kids and get them to stay away from drugs."

Youth need a lot of help to win the battle, says Tebar. According to recent surveys amongst 8– to 14-year-olds, 12% are actively using street drugs, that number jumping to 61% of young people between ages 15 and 24.

"It is vital to reach out to kids just entering their teen years with straight talk so that they can decide against using drugs," she says. "We see that taking the pledge firms up that decision immeasurably." To help the Drug-Free Marshals get their message out, anti-drug booklets are provided by the Church of Scientology as a public service. These booklets tell about the harmful effects of drugs like marijuana, ecstasy and cocaine.

Says Sadie, "Helping kids stay drug-free is fun. When we help someone decide to stay away from drugs, we feel like we're saving lives."
For more information about the Drug-Free Marshals or to order anti-drug booklets, contact Drug-Free Marshals headquarters in Los Angeles at (323) 953-3225.