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To raise awareness about the problem with drinking and driving, the Perry County Farm Bureau helped host a breakfast Nov. 17.

Perry County high school students attended the Red Ribbon Breakfast, which was co-hosted by Nationwide agent Linda Sawyers and featured speakers and a videotape of a play about two students who made poor decisions after attending prom and ended up dying.

One of the speakers was an 18-year-old who was involved in a non-alcohol related accident that killed his best friend. As part of his sentence, he has to talk to high school students about how the accident changed his life. Another speaker was a Perry County High School teacher who has been charged with multiple DUIs and is a recovering alcoholic. He talked about his struggles with alcohol.

A county DARE officer reported that after last year's prom there were no reports of accidents or incidents related to underage alcohol consumption. He attributed this to a countywide program hosted by DARE.

The judge who sentenced the 18-year-old and teacher for their traffic crashes said he decided the appropriate punishment for the two was to have them talk about their accidents so others wouldn't make the same mistakes.

Students from Crooksville High School and New Lexington High School also talked about how they honor Red Ribbon Week and what they do to prevent drugs and alcohol from becoming part of their lives.

Caption: Putting red ribbons on the tree to symbolize loved ones killed by drunk drivers are, from left, Sue Oberhouser, who helped coordinate the event; Elizabeth Cooperrider, Perry County P&E chair; Ray Dossett, Nationwide Relations, and Linda Sawyers, Nationwide agent. Photo by Perry County Farm Bureau