Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 19, 1995 TAG: 9505190074
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But flowers don't look so beautiful on the casket of a young person who has died of drug abuse or violence, he said.
Stovall, a Roanoke County School Board member and former Vinton policeman, said Thursday that more young people are dying of drug abuse and violence.
"We see it as a problem, and it is on the rise," he said. "Our goal is to get to the students and parents and educate them on the problem."
Stovall joined Roanoke County Police Chief John Cease, Vinton Police Chief Rick Foutz and several educators and drug abuse counselors at a news conference to call attention to a rally Sunday on the drug and violence problem.
The three-hour program at William Byrd High School will feature speakers, a drug and weapon display, the Life-Guard 10 rescue helicopter, school bands, the Roanoke County Police K-9 Unit and other attractions. It will begin at 2 p.m.
The rally is sponsored by the county Police Department, county schools and half a dozen other agencies that have programs to oppose drug abuse and violence among young people.
Cease said the program, billed as a rally to protect youth, fits into his philosophy on drugs and other problems.
"There is an excuse for everything now," Cease said. "The bottom line is that it is time for excuses to stop.
"Parents have got to take responsibility for their children, and children have got to be responsible for their actions. We can't keep making excuses."
Foutz said the problems of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and violence are real.
"It's no game. That is the point that we have to get across to the parents, students and the community," he said. "It's not just a police problem. Everyone has to work together."
JoAnn Burkholder, coordinator of the county schools' Student Assistance Program, said studies have shown that parents' expectations for their children, including the avoidance of drugs, can influence children's behavior.
Burkholder said Sunday's rally was spurred in part by an all-night dance party, called a rave, in Vinton in February that attracted 800 people. Some high school students attended the event, where two drug arrests were made and other drug use was observed in the restroom.
Some parents have complained that raves are promoted as alcohol- and drug-free parties, but they're not suitable for high school students.
Donna Proctor, a health educator with the Roanoke Valley Alive and Well Coalition, said the rally also will focus on the dangers of smoking.
by CNB