Parent

"My son, graduated this past week. When I saw officer Bolden at the graduation ceremony, it dawned on me that my son made it through high school drug free!! Never had a drink, pill, puff or drug! And I attribute it to drug and alcohol education like the Lions Reality Tour. We went every year except this one and I am definitely signing up for next year so that my daughter can make it through high school drug free as well.
Your program is so effective and what I like most about it is the complete honesty and candidness of how kids can go from experimentation to addiction or maybe even death. I tried to stress to the kids, 'Don’t pick up the first one and you’ll never have to wonder where it will take you'. If it wasn’t for the ‘shock factor’, I don’t think it would interest the kids. And having the officers there to talk about what is going around school and answering the kids questions about drug names they hear at school from peers is of such help. And the officers best advice was to make sure you know where your kids are and know the family where the party is. Just that advice alone caused me to say ‘no’ to several parties that could have been bad. But the testimonies of the kids who have been addicted to heroin and there struggle to get clean is most effective. Awesome, ingenious, effective program!!
I just wanted to thank you because I don’t think you get thanked enough for all you do and maybe you haven’t seen the positive side of your efforts. But my son is a living example and I am more proud of him for not picking up a drink or drug than I am of him getting a diploma! So THANK YOU SO MUCH to all the Lion’s and volunteers who take their time hoping it will make a difference in someone's life.
God Bless you abundantly for every effort, every sacrifice, and every encouragement. It made a difference in our lives and I am so grateful!"

Student

- The following is an exact copy of what a student who attended a recent Reality Tour in Westmoreland County wrote about her experience:

"This tour was everything I didn’t expect it to be; it was much more. Before I went to see the tour, I had it set in my mind that this wouldn’t help me realize anything. But I admit I was wrong and I’m glad because this tour has changed my mind about drug use completely. I always thought smoking weed wasn’t a big deal but it really is. It’s one of the starting points that lead to other drug use. After experiencing this tour I’ve changed my mind about marijuana and I plan on staying clean. I think this program is very helpful and I think all students in every school should experience this tour. In school they tell you that doing drugs and drinking is bad for you but you never really get to see the outcome or the reality of it all. So to me this tour was a really big eye opener and I’m happy I had a chance to experience it. Anyone who asks me about it, I would highly recommend it because after you see this tour you don’t even know what to say."

Tammy Wolicki – 2008 Principal of Greensburg-Salem School

“In my fifteen years as an educator, I’ve not seen a program as powerful as this. You will not find a better way to spend an evening with your child that will make such a lasting impression. I think every middle school student should attend with his/her parents.”

Dr. Gennaro Piraino – Jr. Principal at Baggaley Elementary School

“I continually felt that we were working hard to educate students, but were failing to educate parents. For the 1st time, our partnership with the Reality Tour enables us to begin educating parents and open the dialogue between parent and child. As a school administrator, I will continue to persuade families to participate. As a parent, once my children are of age, we will be attending the Tour together.”