Picatinny Red Ribbon Week takes inspiration from Maya Angelou | Article

PICATINNY ARSENAL, NJ – Officials at the Picatinny Arsenal celebrated Red Ribbon Week, October 21-25, by holding several drug awareness events and activities for employees and families, including one that installation staff had never done before – family movie night at your local cinema. .

“Red Ribbon Week, an initiative that advocates against drug and alcohol use disorders, has always emphasized the importance of finding healthy alternative ways to cope with life’s challenges,” said Amy Gopel, Picatinny Arsenal’s Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program Manager and Coordinator employee assistance programs. .

“Although Red Ribbon Week is an annual campaign, our goal is to make it something much more meaningful,” Gopel said. “We had picnics, dressed in red, participated in the annual Trunk or Treat festival and hosted over 50 vendors at our health and wellness fair, but perhaps the most touching moment was our family movie night, The Goonies.”

The theme of this year’s Red Ribbon Week campaign was “Life is a Movie.”

“It encourages us to spend quality time together without drugs or alcohol, sharing memories and creating new ones,” Gopel said. “The Goonies,” everyone’s favorite ’80s adventure film about friendship and courage, is the perfect way to do that!”

The film “The Goonies” was shown free of charge to Picatinny employees and their families during an evening screening at the nearby AMC Theater at Rockaway Townsquare Mall on October 24th.

“About 100 members of our Picatinny community and their families came together, some rewatching it, some seeing it for the first time, but all sharing the joy of a nostalgic classic,” she said. “Sitting in the back, we were fortunate to hear the laughter and giggles of families enjoying each other’s company—moments that were only possible through our collective efforts over the years.”

Earlier this year, Gopel was recognized as the first female recipient of the Picatinny Steadfast Warrior Award, which was approved by the Secretary of the Army in 2003 to recognize U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) individuals who have demonstrated the highest standards of performance and that have contributed significantly to the success of and team responsibility.

In her role, Gopel oversees a division focused on suicide prevention, employee assistance, preparedness and resilience, drug testing, leadership development, inclusion and cohesion in the workplace.

The installation’s annual Red Ribbon Campaign is one aspect of the program that Gopel, along with her colleague Christina William, tirelessly supports. The innovative new ideas and approaches that Gopel presents are inspired by one of the world’s most famous civil rights activists and poet, the late Maya Angelou.

“As Maya Angelou said so beautifully, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” We want our office to continue to be a safe place where community members feel welcome and united. Thank you to everyone who joined, participated and helped build our community. It may be a small effort, but as we know, even a small community can make a difference, one step at a time.”

The Red Ribbon Campaign began in 1985 when Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a Marine veteran and police officer turned DEA agent, was murdered by drug traffickers in Guadalajara, Mexico.

In 1990, the Department of Defense officially began observing Red Ribbon Week to raise public awareness and mobilize communities to combat tobacco, alcohol and drug use among military personnel, civilians and their families.

Employees who believe they have problems with alcohol or substance use disorders should contact Gopel at 973-724-4357 or receive a referral. All showings are confidential.