October 2025 Newsletter

October 2025

Announcements

Celebrate Red Ribbon Week This October!

Each year, communities around the country celebrate Red Ribbon Week from October 23-31, an 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 is: "Life Is A Puzzle. Solve It Drug Free."

Explore these ideas to celebrate Red Ribbon Week this year:

Enter the Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest by November 16, 2025. Three winners will receive a $100 gift card and have their poster featured in Red Ribbon Week 2026!
Take the Red Ribbon Week Pledge to stand up against substance use. Take the pledge today -- and encourage friends and family to do the same -- to continue to help make our community drug-free.
Visit the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Dr.) to view displays of student artwork promoting the benefits of a drug-free lifestyle. These displays feature the winning designs for the 2025 Red Ribbon Week poster contest. Artwork is displayed on the lobby level and on the fifth floor.
Join SAPCA for the presentation of a proclamation recognizing Red Ribbon Week on October 28 at City Hall (301 King St.).
Stay informed -- learn the latest facts about alcohol, marijuana, e-cigarettes, and prescription and over-the-counter medication.

Click here to explore more ways to celebrate Red Ribbon Week this month!

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 September 12, SAPCA Coordinator Emma Beall joined the Peer Advocates, Alexandria Youth Ambassadors, and Youth Safety and Resilience Coordinator Jasmine Coombs at All Things Teen Wellness to promote mental health resources. During this event, attendees learned about the Alexandria Teen Text Line and Alexandria Teen Life, and participated in a variety of activities, including yoga and art. In recognition of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, the Alexandria Youth Ambassadors also asked youth to write down one way they could help a friend struggling with a mental health challenge. The ideas were then linked together in a paper chain to show the many different ways you can show up for the ones you love.

On September 13, Emma and volunteer David Paul attended the 2nd annual Community Volunteer Fair to highlight ways to get involved with SAPCA -- including co-presenting workshops, creating social media posts, distributing flyers, fundraising, helping with video production, monitoring state legislation, and writing op-eds. Interested in receiving information about the latest volunteer opportunities with SAPCA? Complete our volunteer interest form.

On September 17, SAPCA Chair Allen Lomax, Chief of Youth Development Noraine Buttar, and Emma attended a Recovery Month Celebration at Ben Brenman Park. During this event, they distributed 36 locking medicine boxes, at home drug disposal kits, and information about getting involved with SAPCA.

On September 18, SAPCA distributed 50 parent handbooks to families at the DASH Block Party. Created by Operation Parent, these resource guides raise awareness about the latest trends, warning signs, and tips for effective parent/child communication.

On September 28, several high school Peer Advocates joined Alexandria Campaign on Adolescent Pregnancy (ACAP) Coordinator Felicia Parks at a Community Resource Day at Patrick Henry K-8 School. Felicia and the Peer Advocates shared information about the Alexandria Teen Text Line and Alexandria Teen Life and distributed parent handbooks to families.

Please join us in recognizing and thanking volunteers David Paul and Allen Lomax for their help promoting ways to get involved with SAPCA and sharing prevention resources with our community!

The Peer Advocates are a group of Alexandria youth who work closely with SAPCA, ACAP, and the Alexandria Sexual Assault Center to support prevention and outreach efforts. Contact Leia Stuart to learn more.

The Alexandria Youth Ambassadors are a group of high school students that support community engagement efforts focused on anti-violence, trauma healing, and social emotional learning. Contact Jasmine Coombs to learn more.

Volunteer Opportunities Spotlight: SAPCA Committees

Do you want to make a difference in your community? SAPCA is looking for youth and adults interested in joining one or more SAPCA committees.

Join the Fundraising Committee to:

Help set fundraising goals and plan how to reach them;
Brainstorm ideas for fundraising events, campaigns, and strategies; and
Track fundraising progress and celebrate successes.

Join the Policy and Advocacy Committee to:

Learn how policies and laws are made;
Share ideas for new policies;
Monitor legislation in the Virginia General Assembly; and
Build skills to be strong advocates.

Join the Video Development and Production Committee to:

Help choose topics for new videos;
Create short videos that promote healthy and positive activities;
Make Q&A-style videos to raise awareness regarding the consequences of youth substance use; and
Help film, edit, and produce videos.

Meeting dates and times for each committee will be set in the coming months. Interested in learning more? Complete our volunteer interest form or contact Emma Beal at emma.beall@alexandriava.gov.

Five Things You Should Know: Celebrating Safely

As fall begins and homecoming approaches, SAPCA encourages parents and teens to ensure youth celebrations are substance free, and to help share this important message with our community.

Under Virginia's Social Host Law, individuals who purchase for, or otherwise give, provide, or assist in the provision of alcoholic beverages to another person when they know or have reason to know that such person was less than 21 years of age can face several consequences. These include losing their driver's license for one year, receiving up to one year in jail and paying $2,500 fine for each young person who was provided alcohol.

Talk to your children early and often about the consequences of underage drinking. Remember, small conversations can make a big difference. Unsure how to start the conversation? Check out these five tips for talking to teens about alcohol:

Show you disapprove of underage drinking.
Show you care about your child's happiness and well-being.
Show you're a good source of information about alcohol.
Show you're paying attention and you'll notice if your child drinks.
Build your child's skills and strategies for avoiding underage drinking.

Learn more facts about underage drinking here.

Save the Date: October 25 is Drug Take Back Day

The City of Alexandria encourages residents to safely dispose of unneeded prescription drugs, including those prescribed by veterinarians, and over-the-counter medications during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.

A collection will take place on Saturday, October 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the following drop-off sites staffed by the Alexandria Police Department and the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office:

Alexandria Police Department Headquarters (3600 Wheeler Ave.)
Fire Station 210 (5255 Eisenhower Ave.)
The Neighborhood Pharmacy of Del Ray (2204 Mt. Vernon Ave.)
Walgreens Pharmacy (3614 King St.)

Can't make it to Drug Take Back Day? Dispose of medication year-round at one of the City's permanent medication drop boxes. Needles are not accepted during the take back event or in the permanent medication drop boxes. Dispose of needles and syringes in a separate designated permanent drop box.

Interested in volunteering for this month's drug take back day? Volunteers share information and distribute resources about the importance of safe medication disposal at one of the four drop-off locations. Contact Emma Beall at emma.beall@alexandriava.gov to learn more or to sign up.

Learn more about the importance of safe medication disposal here.