Project Purple group advocates against youth drug and alcohol use

Project Purple is a group brought to the high school by Chris Herren, following the presentation about his substance abuse history and how it affected his career as an NBA player

Following Herren’s presentation, Project Purple banner was hung up outside of the first cafeteria. Hundreds of students signed this banner, and took the Project Purple Pledge supporting The Herren Project, otherwise known as Project Purple.

Advised by health teacher Tara Cole, South Hadley’s Project Purple Group is working on creating substance free activities for the high schoolers.

Cole said, “As one of the the health teachers in the building, I thought this was a great opportunity to extend the messages that I teach in the classroom about not only the dangers of drugs and alcohol, but also how to respond to peer pressures and mixed media, social, and parental messages about alcohol/drug use.”

Right now there are 8 members including junior Charity Ward, junior Dylan Sparks, junior Maritza Roman, freshman Jeremy Rodriguez, senior Jessica Casolari, freshman Joseph Werenski, freshman Sean Doyle, and freshman Drew Foley.

Students involved with Project purple are passionate about Herren’s message to young adults that substance use can lead to issues down the road.

“I wanted to join Project Purple because of the strong message it had when it was presented to us through Chris Herren,” said Ward. “I have quite a few family members who are struggling with their lives because of substance abuse, and I would like to prevent that from happening to my classmates.”

Project Purple had a bake sale from November 24th to November 26th. Using different types of fundraisers, Project Purple will be able to create events to give students more opportunities to have fun without the use of substances such as drugs and alcohol.

The group is looking to have future events, following major school events, such as school dances. There are ideas to have a “lock-in” after prom and cotillion. A lock-in is an overnight, sober event with games, food and other activities that can be played for the whole night.  The group has also thought about renting out a movie theater for private showings of movies as sober activities.

“The group is important to me,” said Cole. “It represents a place where students can come together, in a safe place to discuss alcohol and drugs, and how to continue to lead a clean lifestyle among today’s pressure.”

“I hope that as a group we can lower the rates of substances at our school and also be able to inform our classmates of the risks they’re taking if they choose to take a substance,” said Ward.

The Project Purple group Cole advises is one of hundreds of groups at schools across the country. The concept was first developed when Herren spoke at a local high school in 2011. In the front row of the students, there were individuals wearing purple shirts. Following Herren’s presentation, one of the students wearing a purple shirt raised her hand to say something. People snickered and laughed at her throughout the auditorium.

That student along with the other people wearing purple in the front row were a part of a club that pledged not to use drugs or alcohol. Herren was moved by the courage and heart that it took for her stand up and share the group’s meaning behind their purple shirts.

As a result of this, Herren was inspired to continue to make a difference with adolescents across the United States by bringing the Project Purple group idea to the schools he visited.