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Learn how you can help DEA promote Red Ribbon Week, get details on a fentanyl awareness rally and walk, and discover an opportunity for speaking to students about the importance of staying drug-free. Jump to the article below!
Preparing for Red Ribbon 2025
3rd Annual Fentanyl Awareness Rally
Micah's Hugs Leads San Francisco Walk for Lives
Join the Angel Army
We're Growing!
Preparing for Red Ribbon 2025
Each year, from October 23-31, the Drug Enforcement Administration and countless organizations across the country observe Red Ribbon Week. The White House also proclaims October as National Substance Use Prevention Month.
DEA respectfully requests your help to share the Red Ribbon message with the communities and organizations you serve.
This year is especially important as it is the 40th Anniversary of the events that inspired the first Red Ribbon activities.
Red Ribbon Week began after the kidnapping, torture, and murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico. High school students in Calexico, California, his hometown, began wearing and tying red ribbons around their community in his honor.
The campaign was then formalized in 1988 by the National Family Partnership, with President and Mrs. Reagan serving as honorary chairpersons. Read more about the history of Red Ribbon, and Special Agent Camarena.
There are many ways to recognize Red Ribbon. Today we are highlighting three:
• Through the Go Red for Red Ribbon Week initiative, we ask you to encourage decision makers to light public landmarks (e.g., buildings, monuments, bridges) in red to raise public awareness and promote a drug-free lifestyle. Photos can be posted on social media platforms and tagged #DEARedRibbon and #GoRed4RedRibbon. Click here for this year’s flyer.
• 20 Ways to Promote Red Ribbon Week can spark ideas that will help you develop a program that works for the communities you serve.
• New, this year, we have created a template that schools can use to send a message home to parents and caregivers about their Red Ribbon activities. This template includes links to age-appropriate tip sheets to guide family conversations about substance use.
Please use and share these resources with your partners to get Red Ribbon messages to everyone who needs to hear them.
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3rd Annual Fentanyl Awareness Rally
Join TK Fights Fentanyl on September 20th from 5:00-8:30 PM at the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka for the 3rd Annual Fentanyl Awareness Rally.
This special evening brings families, friends, and community members together to honor lives lost, support those in recovery, and spread vital education about the dangers of illicit fentanyl. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos of loved ones to place on the Capitol steps as a powerful reminder of the impact this crisis has on families across Kansas and beyond. Alongside stories of loss, participants will also share messages of hope and recovery. This year's rally will feature guest speakers Mike Rupe from the DEA and a representative from the KBI, providing valuable insight into fentanyl's dangers and the importance of prevention, enforcement, and education.
Local agencies will also be present to connect attendees with treatment, recovery, and harm reduction resources. The evening will include a live performance and personal testimony from an inspiring artist. Free Naloxone (Narcan) will be available while supplies last, empowering attendees with a life-saving tool against overdose. Volunteers will also be present to offer prayer and support. Together, we can raise awareness, break stigma, and fight for a future free from fentanyl tragedies. For more information or to get involved, please email kayleesdadismad@gmail.com or follow Kaylee's Dad is Mad on Facebook.
Micah’s Hugs Leads San Francisco Walk for Lives
Micah’s Hugs is proud to lead the San Francisco Walk For Lives, the national flagship walk taking place on September 20, 2025.
Walk For Lives is a nationwide day of action, with more than 250 cities walking together to raise awareness about the fentanyl crisis, honor lives lost, and provide communities with resources to save lives. San Francisco has been chosen as the nationally broadcast site, shining a spotlight on our region’s leadership in addressing this urgent public health emergency.
The San Francisco Walk will include a 1.5–2 mile route through the city, ending with a community resource fair featuring local organizations, speakers, and music.
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Join the Angel Army
Angel Army is a growing network of bereaved parents from Victoria’s Voice, Fentanyl Fathers, and Eric’s House who have united to save lives through powerful storytelling and education. Fueled by loss and purpose, they speak in schools across the country, reaching over 80,000 students and inspiring 86% to commit to staying drug-free. Together, they are changing hearts, minds, and futures. Learn more about becoming part of this lifesaving movement.
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We're Growing!
The Together for Families network now includes hundreds of organizations and individuals from across the United States. Please encourage families and community members concerned about substance use to sign up for updates.
Also, if you work with an organization that has a free resource, information or event that you want families to know about, encourage them to join the Together for Families network by e-mailing togetherforfamilies@dea.gov.
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