November 2026 Newsletter

November 2026

Announcements

Alexandria Celebrates Red Ribbon Week

Each year from October 23-31, SAPCA joins our community in celebrating Red Ribbon Week, the largest alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention awareness campaign. Red Ribbon Week is an ideal way for people and communities to unite and take a visible stand against drugs. This year's theme was “Make a Difference. Be a Hero. Stay Drug Free.”

SAPCA celebrated Red Ribbon Week by:

Recognizing Red Ribbon Week through a City proclamation.
Sharing information with students during lunch at Alexandria City High School (ACHS) in partnership with Alexandria City Public Schools, Inova Alexandria Hospital, the Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS), the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. During tabling, students shared healthy ways they cope with stress.
Supporting Youth Development Counselors at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School and Francis C. Hammond Middle School to spread the word about Red Ribbon Week with students. During lunch, students answered trivia questions and signed the Red Ribbon Week pledge to show their support for making healthy, drug-free choices.
Encouraging students to enter the Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest. Three winners will receive a $100 gift card and have their poster featured in Red Ribbon Week 2026! ACPS students can enter the poster contest until November 15, 2026. Three winners will receive a $100 gift card and have their poster featured in Red Ribbon Week 2027!

Thanks to everyone who helped make these activities a huge success!

Community Connections: Promoting Prevention Resources

Last month, SAPCA collaborated with our school and community partners by promoting prevention resources with youth and parents at several events.

On October 7 and 8, SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall, SAPCA Grant Coordinator Jamie Ciesla, and Opioid Response Coordinator Hope Sievers delivered presentations to students in the ACHS U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) program. During these presentations, students reviewed facts about alcohol and other drugs before discussing healthy ways to cope with stress and strategies to respond to peer pressure through small group discussions.

On October 16, SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall presented to John Adams Elementary School parents to provide an overview of current and emerging youth substance use trends. Emma also shared tips to help parents and caregivers support youth to make healthy choices.

Additionally, several SAPCA youth leaders attended last month's CADCA Drug-Free Kids Campaign Awards Dinner -- an inspiring evening highlighting prevention champions.

Peer Advocates Ibaa Musa and Sawra Aram, Peer Advisors Eddit Hernandez Perez and Jamiya Jackson, Young Adult Peer Advocates Atiya Idris and Glenda Amoateng, and Youth Ambassadors Farhat Ramzi and Travis Lipscomb joined Youth Safety and Resilience Coordinator Jasmine Coombs and Youth Development Counselor Nagat Khalifa at this event. The evening featured a delicious dinner, live music, and inspiring speeches from youth and adult champions working to create drug-free communities. Students left energized and motivated to make a difference in their schools and neighborhoods.

We appreciate these opportunities to connect with our community and look forward to continuing to raise awareness about events and resources for Alexandria’s children, youth, and families.

The Peer Advocates are a group of Alexandria youth who work closely with SAPCA, the Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP), and the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center to support prevention and outreach efforts.

The Peer Advisors are a group of high school students who mentor younger youth, give public presentations on prevention topics, and participate in community service projects.

The Alexandria Youth Ambassadors are a group of high school students who support community engagement efforts focused on anti-violence, trauma healing, and social emotional learning.

Fall Medication Disposal Recap

With the support of multiple efforts to prevent and end medication misuse and abuse, the City of Alexandria collected and safely disposed of a total of 826 lbs. of unused, expired and unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medication. On October 24, 324 lbs. of medication were collected during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Additionally, 502 lbs. of medication have been collected this fall from the City of Alexandria's year-round permanent medication drop boxes and through a medication collection at Goodwin House Alexandria.

SAPCA thanks and recognizes our community partners for their efforts to dispose of unused and expired medication safely:

Alexandria Police Department
Alexandria Sheriff's Office
Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray
Fire Station 210
Goodwin House Alexandria
Alexandria Opioid Work Group
Alexandria Medical Reserve Corp
Inova Alexandria Hospital

We are also thankful for the volunteers who supported outreach efforts during Drug Take Back Day. Please join us in thanking Luke M., Elizabeth W., Barbara B., Peter G., Susan D., Michele W., Deborah M., and Marjorie W. for their help sharing information about our community's year-round permanent medication drop boxes.

Needles are not accepted in the permanent medication drop boxes. Dispose of needles and syringes at a separate permanent drop box specifically for these items located inside the visitor's entrance at Inova Alexandria Hospital. The box is accessible at the same location and hours as the hospital’s drop off box for medications.

Visit alexandriava.gov/Opioids for more information about safe medicine disposal and to learn about Alexandria’s efforts regarding the opioid crisis.

Call for Nominations: SAPCA Officers and Board Members

Do you want to make a difference in your community? SAPCA invites community members to submit nomination applications to serve as officers and members of the SAPCA Board of Directors.

Please send the nomination form to those you think are good candidates and interested in serving on the SAPCA Board. Of course, if you think you are a good candidate -- you can nominate yourself. We need current and future community leaders to provide their ideas, thoughts, and time to reducing and ending youth substance use and misuse in Alexandria.

Nomination Procedures

Nominations should be submitted using this form. The deadline to submit your nomination application is November 13 at 11:59 p.m.

Nomination Guidelines

Nominees should be youth or adult community members who live, learn, work, play, and pray in the City of Alexandria. Prior involvement with SAPCA is welcome but not required.
Youth nominees should be Alexandria middle or high school students (public or private, grades 8–12).

Nominations are sought for the following positions:

Four officer positions - Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer (each with a two year term, January 2027 - December 2028).
Five members of the Board of Directors (each with a two-year term, January 2027 - December 2028. At least one member must be a youth.)

Time Commitment

SAPCA's Board of Directors, which includes its officers, meets the fourth Monday of each month from 6-7:30 p.m.

Program Spotlight: REAL Talk

Have you heard of the after-school club REAL Talk? Guided by the Young Adult Peer Advocates (YAPAs), REAL Talk invites students to take part in activities and discussions about healthy relationships, communication skills, mental health, and more! The club meets every other Thursday at the Minnie Howard campus. All ACHS students are welcome! Contact Alina Selnick-Escobar at alina.selnickescobar@alexandriava.gov with any questions.

Supporting the YAPA program this year are two ACHS juniors, Dani Ellis and Sydney Robasson, who serve as prevention interns. Right now, Dani and Sydney are focused on recruiting new members for REAL Talk, so if you’re curious about the club, they’re great people to ask!

The YAPAs partner with the Sexual Assault Center, Domestic Violence Program, Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy, and SAPCA to deliver peer-to-peer prevention programming and community outreach. They lead workshops and presentations for Alexandria youth on sexual and reproductive health, sexual assault prevention, healthy relationships, mental health, and substance use prevention.