Drawing The Line Against Teen Drinking In Toppenish
TOPPENISH -- KIMA is Taking Action for You in Toppenish. It all began with a report on the teen drinking problem. Now a year later, change is in the hands of community members who saw what we uncovered and wanted to make a difference. We found out more and more teens are choosing to stay sober.
Diane Sampson was watching our newscast last summer when a story came on about teen drinking. Our story uncovered underage drinking in Toppenish to be four-times worse than any other city in our area.
"That's basically something that kind of stuck," said Sampson.
At that point she decided to do something about it, and the "Draw the Line" campaign came into play. Diane got the kids involved and they really took it from there, planning all the events including the kick-off at Pioneer Park.
"I see a lot of problems and issues that they face and so we just try to help them," said Sampson.
The teens sign petitions promising not to drink until they are 21. And teens who pledge, like Junior Taylor Kendall, think these petitions will help stop the drinking problem.
"I think just signing it will help them realize that if they do they're not alone,” said Kendall. “It lets them know there are other kids out there who are going to wait until they are of age to drink."
Taylor now wears a band on her wrist to remind herself and others about the petition, but she said she's too busy spending time playing sports with her friends to drink, but that's not the only reason she's choosing not to.
"We’re examples for the little kids and if they see us drinking when we’re underage they're going to be more likely to do it," she said.
Although crime has dropped overall in Toppenish, the community has decided to draw the line now on drinking before tragedy strikes.
Diane Sampson was watching our newscast last summer when a story came on about teen drinking. Our story uncovered underage drinking in Toppenish to be four-times worse than any other city in our area.
"That's basically something that kind of stuck," said Sampson.
At that point she decided to do something about it, and the "Draw the Line" campaign came into play. Diane got the kids involved and they really took it from there, planning all the events including the kick-off at Pioneer Park.
"I see a lot of problems and issues that they face and so we just try to help them," said Sampson.
The teens sign petitions promising not to drink until they are 21. And teens who pledge, like Junior Taylor Kendall, think these petitions will help stop the drinking problem.
"I think just signing it will help them realize that if they do they're not alone,” said Kendall. “It lets them know there are other kids out there who are going to wait until they are of age to drink."
Taylor now wears a band on her wrist to remind herself and others about the petition, but she said she's too busy spending time playing sports with her friends to drink, but that's not the only reason she's choosing not to.
"We’re examples for the little kids and if they see us drinking when we’re underage they're going to be more likely to do it," she said.
Although crime has dropped overall in Toppenish, the community has decided to draw the line now on drinking before tragedy strikes.
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