Published: October 06, 2009 12:29 am      

DrugFree Greenville: The Red Ribbon story

The Red Ribbon Story



By Jane Cantrell



October is Red Ribbon Month, and the message of the “Red Ribbon” will be presented to the Greenville ISD elementary students this week by the Greenville High School theater arts students of Mrs. Andrea Farnham

“The Red Ribbon — A Story of Hope” written by John Lasne, tells of a kingdom overcome by a sadness and fear so powerful that all seems hopeless. The storybook was adapted as a melodrama by DrugFree Greenville board members Greenville Police Department Sgt. C.J. Crawford and Amy McCormick.

In the melodrama, this unfortunate village is also menaced by a sinister villain who tempts the desperate townspeople to turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of easing their fear and pain and loneliness.

The wisest and most skilled citizens of the town have all failed in their attempts to save the kingdom from despair, when an ordinary weaver with a brown bag steps forward with a plan.

Following the weaver's instructions, everyone in the kingdom gathers together at sunrise the next day. The weaver is there with his bag, and he pulls from it a red ribbon.

The red ribbon, he explains, must be taken throughout the village, from one end to the other and never be allowed to touch the ground. Most importantly, everyone in the village must share in this task; no one can be left out.

As the ribbon is unfurled and taken up by each person, something magical begins to happen. The people begin to see their neighbors and their needs. They begin to offer each other help and comfort. They begin to share. They discover ways they can work together and care for each other.

Just as the last person is about to take hold of the ribbon, it flutters toward the ground. The king leaps forward to catch the ribbon so that the magic will not be broken, but he is too late.

However, much to the delight of the king and all his people, the magic continues to work as everyone remains joyful and helpful to one another.

As the people celebrate you can almost hear the villain saying “curses, foiled, again!” The villagers now know that what he had offered had only increased their sadness and misery. They turn on the villain and force him out of their kingdom.

The king marvels that the red ribbon is so powerful that its spell is not broken even when it touches the ground. He then realizes that the magic is not in the red ribbon after all. The true magic is in the hearts and hands of those who embrace it.

Will you embrace the power of the red ribbon by looking around and seeing whom you can encourage and help? Will you be a friend to someone who is lonely? Will you lend a hand to someone in need? While the ribbon didn't really need to stay off the ground to work its magic, it is true that everyone must take part for the full effect of the magic to be realized in our own kingdom. As the weaver proved, you don't need to be a magician to work this magic.



Cantrell is a DrugFree Greenville board member and the 2009 Red Ribbon Story coordinator.