East Mississippi Correctional Facility in Meridian, Mississippi recently celebrated Red Ribbon Week. Decorating contests and other activities were held throughout the week ending with a program. The aim of the week was to promote and celebrate drug and alcohol addiction recovery. Lawrence White, a former addict, was a guest speaker.

“Red Ribbon Week here at MTC is one of the best and most positive things that can happen inside a facility,” he said. “It gives offenders the opportunity to hear and see the message of recovery.”

At the podium, Lawrence said, “I’m living clean today. I work today. I work every day.”

The audience responded with supportive applause. Another former addict, Gean Coleman, was also a guest speaker.

“There’s a way out,” he encouraged, “there’s a life without drugs, there’s a life without prison.”

Meridian Councilwoman Kim Houston was a special guest invited by the facility to attend the program and be a part of the celebration.

“It is a pleasure for me to be out here today,” she explained, “to celebrate Red Ribbon Week with this facility. They do such a wonderful job with the programs, and we get a special invitation each year, and I’m always honored to come out. Today we were able to see a skit that was very real, and I think it sent a true message that drugs is not good for anybody, and if you really want to see change, you’re gonna have to change; change in your mind, change in the people you hang out with, change in all of that. So, hats off to this facility for doing such a wonderful job, as usual, to bring awareness to the things that are important.”