Thousands of Teens Celebrate at 2024 Drug Free Clubs of America Rally

We provide parents and decision makers with information and support that they need to prevent adolescent drug and alcohol use before it starts. 

Here are a few of our 2024 accomplishments:

• Reached 91 members in the first SafeLaunch-sponsored Drug Free Clubs of America started in Clovis, California.
• Held the first Buckeye, Arizona Plane Pull fundraiser to raise funds to support our mission and efforts.
• Flew “DJ”, the SafeLaunch Prevention Plane, a Cessna 182, to its 71st aviation event. Our eye-catching and interactive plane painting exhibit, “Flights Above Addiction”, engages parents and youth and explains the health risk of any substance use before age 21.
• Produced three additional “Plane Pulls”, which are fun, physically challenging events that test participants' strength by pulling either "DJ" or even a 40,000 pound, four engine, WWII Navy Bomber aircraft! Plane pull events educate communities and individuals about the importance of substance use prevention and raise money to prevent teen use.
• Awarded four graduating high school students with scholarships toward post-secondary education. These teens demonstrated extreme resilience having been challenged by addiction in their homes.
• Attended the annual Ohio Drug Free Clubs of America student rally in support of the thousands of teens celebrating their choice not to use drugs or alcohol.

SafeLaunch has big plans for 2025. With your help, we will succeed. Here are the top six goals:

• Sponsor 5 new Drug Free Clubs of America in high schools and middle schools.
• Celebrate our organization’s internationally esteemed board member Dr. Robert DuPont, who for 50 years has been a leader in substance use prevention and treatment, at a lifetime legacy salute in Washington, D.C. 
• Kickoff a new campaign! Youth have: One Brain One Choice! This campaign is headed by Dr. Robert DuPont's Institute for Behavior and Health and will advance a national health standard of no substance use before age 21 to keep developing brains healthy.
• Continue flying “DJ”, our Prevention Plane, to conduct our interactive plane exhibits, “Flights Above Addiction”. 
• Inspire the adoption of universal primary drug prevention at our fifth appearance at the California Association of Supervisors of Child Welfare and Attendance State Conference, where we engage education leaders and specialists on the importance of protecting the developing brain from substance use and offer school-based solutions.
• Continue granting scholarships to graduating high school students who have demonstrated resilience from backgrounds challenged by substance use.

Your financial support helps create opportunities for teens to stay healthy and drug-free.