The Porter County Red Ribbon Campaign celebrated their winners at an event held on Tuesday, May 5th. This year’s poster winners are Brianna Steinhilber from Morgan Township High School and Kiley Edwards from Portage High School. The placemat winners are Morgan Warner Phipps from Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Bobbie Russell from Nativity of Our Savior in Portage, Kaja Matchett from Union Center Elementary and Hilary Reibly from Bailly Elementary. This year’s Red Ribbon Scholarship winner, Lindsey DeBoer, is a senior at Valparaiso High School.
Many members of the community were on hand to congratulate the winners and offer support of the choice of a drug-free life. Porter County Auditor Vicki Urbanik and Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds gave awards to the children. State Senator Ed Charbonneau and Chesterton Police Chief David Cincoski attended and are supporters of this awareness campaign. Superintendents Pruis, Hunter, Gardin, Frataccia, and Weigel attended in celebration of their students.
Porter County Red Ribbon Campaign Chair Jacquelyn Sterling was excited about the participation. “We are here for the children and their future.” Sterling is stepping down after 22 years as Chair. She was recognized by the Porter County Substance Abuse Council President, Michelle Volk,“Jackie has been instrumental in the ongoing fight against substance abuse. In her 22 years at the helm she has touched the lives of over 400,000 Porter County students helping raise awareness to this issue.”