Red Ribbon Week icon visits Yorbita Elementary in La Puente

Yorbita Elementary Principal Sylvia Cadena looks to the sky at the balloons with Red Ribbon Week icon Mika Camarena.

Yorbita Elementary Principal Sylvia Cadena looks to the sky at the balloons with Red Ribbon Week icon Mika Camarena.

By Rowland Unified

Students from Yorbita Elementary in La Puente released more than 100 red balloons today with student pledges to be “drug free” in celebration of Red Ribbon Week.

Each year thousands of schools across the U.S. celebrate “Red Ribbon Week” October 23- 31 to promote drug abuse prevention in honor of DEA Special Agent “Kiki” Camarena.

His death sparked a grass roots campaign to reduce the demand for drugs and encourage healthy, violence-free lifestyles. Yorbita Elementary was honored to have the wife of “Kiki” Camarena, “Mika” Camarena, who is president of the Camarena Foundation lead the balloon release today.

 Holding her red balloon, she read to the students her pledge: “My commitment is to continue my work with Red Ribbon until my last breath.” The balloons filled the sky as students cheered.