West Seattle residents Jet Holzwarth, Brendan O'Firinn, Michelle Nickley, Dana Weinreb and a group of volunteers with the Foundation for a Drug-Free World passed out more than 3,000 The Truth About Drugs booklets in the greater Seattle area last weekend, in a planet-wide effort to raise awareness of the dangers of drug abuse on April 18 and 19.

The Foundation for a Drug-Free World is a secular, nonprofit organization that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to be drug-free. Education plays a vital role in preventing drug abuse and the foundation provides tools that hold the attention of young people, debunking common myths and empowering them to resist peer pressure to use drugs.

It’s staff and volunteers work with youth, parents, educators, volunteer organizations and government agencies–anyone with an interest in helping people lead lives free from drug abuse.

The foundation provides free educational materials, advice and coordination for its international drug prevention network and recently received a Silver 2009 (ADDY Award for its multi-media drug education and prevention campaign and a bronze ADDY Award for each of six of its new public service announcements. Through the ADDY Awards, the American Advertising Federation (a nationwide not-for-profit industry association) acknowledges creative excellence in advertising.

Educational materials available to the public include 16 high-impact public service messages and an excerpt from a documentary featuring former drug abusers talking about each commonly used drug and its effects in their life; The Truth About Drugs Education Kit and an Educator's Guide which contains lesson plans based on the booklets. For more information go to www.drugfreeworld.org.

This story was sent in by reader Ann Pearce.