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Fort Collins New Life Center
Our Drug Education Programs
Our primary mission is to keep kids from experimenting with drugs through our drug education and prevention programs.
A survey we conducted on 40,000 kids indicated that the number one reason by far that a child will experiment with a drug or alcohol is curiosity.
A survey we conducted involving 55,000 showed that 91% of all people that abuse drugs or alcohol began doing so between the ages of 10 and 20 years old. If a person has not experimented with drugs or alcohol by the age of 20 there is only a 9% chance they ever will. The danger zone for drug and alcohol abuse is between the ages of 10 and 20 years old. This is why Drug Education and Prevention is so vitally important.
Dear Gerry:
On behalf of the Rancho Vista High School students and staff, I want to thank you for spending the day with us on May 29th. I've spoken to a number of teachers and students who attended your presentations. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. Both teachers and students thought they had learned some things about the harmful effects of marijuana and other drugs mentioned that they had not heard before. They also found the talks to be both informative and entertaining.
We would very much like to have you back on campus again next year to speak to our students. It would be great if you could come out once each month to address new students at Rancho Vista who would be attending our Orientation program.
Again, thanks for taking the time to address our entire student body and we will be in contact with you shortly to set up additional presentations.
Sincerely,
D.L.
Counselor
Dear Gerry,
I would like to express my appreciation for the recent drug education presentation provided by your organization. Gerry did a wonderful job of providing our students with valuable information about the dangers of drug and alcohol use. He presented the information to the children on a level they could relate to, while expanding their awareness of the truth about drugs. Many of the student evaluations following the program expressed, in the children's own words, the importance and impact of the information they received. This educational service is invaluable in the day and age in which we live.
Thank you for offering this educational opportunity to our students and we welcome your assistance in the future !
Sincerely,
H. D.
Resource Teacher
Dear Gerry,
Thank you very much for coming to talk with my Health classes today. Your presentation was excellent. I felt that the students were attentive and willing to listen to what you had to say. As you know, this is a tough audience. Many of my students are substance abusers and very much in denial about the possible consequences of their continued abuse. They hear lots of misinformation about drugs and choose to believe that their involvement will not affect them adversely. They are leery about speakers on 'drugs' because they've heard it all before.
You have a balanced presentation. Kids can relate to you as a person and as a former user (as someone they would consider 'cool'), yet they recognize that you know what you are talking about. By sticking to the facts, keeping the tone comfortable (entertaining, yet appropriately serious) and using language at their level, your message comes across as informative and non-judgmental. Thus kids listen. Even the more hard-core kids (kids who admit to drug use) felt they learned something. The information on how our brain stores and retrieves information was interesting. Many kids could see themselves or their friends in your examples. For many of these kids, your information will give them food for thought. They may not change today or tomorrow, yet they might recognize themselves as they find themselves on that roller coaster of substance highs and lows. They may be more realistic about where they are headed. For the non-users in the group, this confirms and validates why they shouldn't start.
I would gladly recommend your presentation to fellow educators. Please use me as a reference as you contact other schools. I look forward to having you return to Valley Vista next semester and speak with students again. You are an excellent resource.
Sincerely,
B.C
Health Teacher
Dear Mr. Marshall,
I just wanted to take this time to thank you so much for coming and speaking to the Project Success students in my groups at Irvine High School. Your presentation was dynamic and energetic and you seemed to really have an impact on the students that attended.
Several students after the presentation stated that they felt inspired to move towards ceasing their own use of drugs and want to help encourage other students to do so as well.
Please continue with your efforts in promoting the anti-use of drugs in youths and inspiring adolescents to want to become more knowledgeable about the truth about drugs. You play a powerful role in encouraging and empowering students to take an active role in their own decision making as well as their own lives.
It was a pleasure meeting you. Best of luck in your career as a youth educator as well as all of your future endeavors.
Thank you,
M.C.
Dear Gerry,
I wanted to write a letter expressing how impressed I was with your presentation about the physical and emotional consequences of drug abuse. The students really seemed to appreciate your honesty as well as your personality. Judging from the comments and discussion following your visit, your presentation had a lasting impact on our students.
It is very encouraging to see how you have used your personal experience to provide such a needed service to our students. Your stories, as funny as they were, really appeared to have an impact on our students. Thank you very much for visiting our classrooms and we look forward to having you back to our school as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
K.C.
To Whom It May Concern;
Our school recently had the privilege of hosting Gerry Marshall. The purpose of his visit was to educate our fifth and sixth grade students regarding the dangers of drugs and the effects they have on the body.
Gerry was a knowledgeable speaker. He was organized and informative while giving his presentation. The information shared was grade appropriate and easily applicable to life experiences. His professionalism and attitude were greatly appreciated.
Our staff wholeheartedly recommends Gerry for other presentations of this nature.
Sincerely,
E.S.
E.T.
Principal Grade Level Representative (6th)
Dear Gerry,
Please accept my apology for not having written to you sooner. I wanted to tell you how much the students enjoyed your talk at our school. Thank you for the outstanding presentation.
One for one, they felt like this was the first seminar regarding drugs where they weren.t being talked down to by an adult. You really connected with them. The information was interesting, as well as educational.
I look forward to next school year, when I hope you will be able to enlighten more of our students. Please keep up the good work. This world would certainly be better place for our youth with more people like you.
Sincerely,
P.A.
Education Director
Dear Gerry,
Thank you for your presentation. It was very informative and presented in a way that held the interest of all our students. They need to listen to more of this and realize what can happen to them when taking and dealing with drugs.
Again, thank you for sharing your experiences with Ocean View School.
Sincerely,
S.P.
SED Teacher
To Whom It May Concern:
In February, I ask your program to provide a drug education speaker for the students of Rancho del Mar High School. Gerry spoke to my entire student body in three one hour sessions on March 22, 2001.
Gerry did a terrific job addressing the issues related to drugs, youth, and society. He was able to raise our students. level of awareness regarding the potential impact of drugs on their personal lives, without preaching. Because Gerry has overcome his own addiction to drugs, high school students see him as credible.
I plan to ask your program to provide a speaker for the Rancho del Mar students again next year. I would be pleased if Gerry Marshall is again the presenter. He is an excellent spokesman for drug education.
Sincerely yours,
W. E. H.
Dear Mr. Marshall:
On behalf of the students and staff at Rio Contiguo School, I would like to thank you for the very meaningful presentation. Your discussion on drugs and their effects was very thorough. The students were most impressed with the very comforatable and open manner in which you presented the materials. As you are aware, the students that were in attendance are in a special residential program, "Addiction Substance Abuse Education Recognition and Treatment Program" (ASERT). The students indicated that they could identify with you due to your past experience.
Your successful recovery not only made the students reevaluate their decisions to use drugs, but also gave them a sign of hope that they too can recover from the many negative challenges they have encountered due to their drug experiences. The ASERT program prides itself in assisting the students with their drug issues. Accepting the invitation to speak at Rio Contiguo School supported our efforts and we truly appreciate the very enlightening information you provided. During the course of your discussion, you made many profound statements that will leave a lasting impression in the mind of our students. Again, thank you for addressing the students at Rio Contiguo School and I look forward to a continued relationship.
Sincerely,
G. J
Dear Gerry:
I want to thank you for your time and the wonderful presentation that you gave to our second through sixth grade students. The students and the teachers truly enjoyed your presentation. The students were actively engaged throughout and asked numerous questions after your thought provoking presentation.
The service that you provide to students in Orange County is necessary and much appreciated. I look forward to having you come back to the Anaheim Elementary Opportunity School again in the near future. Thanks again for such an outstanding presentation.
Sincerely,
D.G.
Administrator
Dear Gerry:
Thank you for coming to Bolsa Grande High School to talk to the students about drug abuse. The students seemed to benefit from your experiences. They really seemed to enjoy your presentation. The students have learned about substance abuse, but it is nice to have the students receive a different perspective on the information. This helps to reinforce what they have already learned.
I have enclosed thank you letters from the students. I hope that you enjoy reading them.
Again, thank you for your time and concern toward the youth of today.
Sincerely,
D.L.
Dear Mr. Marshall:
We the staff and students of the Firestone Community Education Center would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your outstanding presentation.
As you are aware, drugs and drug addiction is an ever-present danger in our society that prey upon the young. It is vitally important when one can speak from the knowledge of experience in addressing the needs of young people at-risk.
Again, Thank You for Sharing and Caring. Time spent with youth is an investment that will pay dividends tomorrow, making the world a better place for all to live.
Sincerely,
T.D.
C.L.
Dear Mr. Marshall:
Rialto Adult School CalWORKs and I sincerely appreciate your presence in regards to the Drug Education Seminar. The presentation you delivered was genuine, educational, and in addition entertaining.
I believe our students at Rialto Adult School have benefited tremendously from your lecture. Many were able to relate to your experience and have an awareness on how crucial it is to talk to their children about drugs in making it clear that substance abuse is harmful and has lethal consequences. One student in particular informed me that your presentation had definitely changed her mind in staying away from drugs.
I especially enjoyed your focus on goals and in order to meet those goals, one requires a clear mind to jump over obstacles and accomplish one.s objective. Drug abuse on the contrary, slows and damages the brain, and diminishes any desire to progress.
Sincerely,
B.G.
Dear Gerry,
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting our site, Orange Academy. It was a great way to educate our students on the dangers of drugs. The students enjoyed your visit, and said that the information given was helpful. We admire your efforts in helping children to make smarter choices. We wish you continual success, and again thank you for taking the time to speak with our class.
Sincerely,
S.K.
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