Zachary High School students Tafari Beard and J’Marquise Elmore earned the chance to spend a few hours on set with a production team filming their official drug prevention public service announcement for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana.
Beard and Elmore sat under dramatic lighting surrounded by a film crew, while being interviewed and guided by the director.
Their initial video won first place in a contest conducted by Blue Cross Blue Shield, which gave them the opportunity to contribute to and star in the official public service announcement that will air in May.
Their winning video produced for the contest was about the effects of using drugs, including developing abuse or addiction issues, moving on to more dangerous drugs and dying of an overdose.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana sponsored the contest in partnership with the HOPE Initiative Program, Capital Region Crime Stoppers and I Care Program, asking local students to create original video messages about drug safety, prevention and awareness.
“People used to worry about illegal drugs but today, drug abuse typically starts in the home medicine cabinet,” said Kandyce Cowart, Blue Cross Special Investigations manager. “With the added danger of what appear to be prescription or other drugs potentially laced with fentanyl, people may not know what they are really taking. Their first time trying a drug could be the last time because of overdose and death.
“It’s very important to be aware of all the risks, especially for younger people who could end up struggling with a lifelong addiction issue.”
“Teens may not want to listen to their parents, teachers or other adults, but they will often listen to their friends,” said Kathie Wylie, a member of Capital Region Crime Stoppers. “We held this contest to give students an opportunity to learn more about the current dangers of experimenting with drugs, see what hits home for them, then take that message to their classmates.”
“Our mission is to improve the health and lives of Louisianians, and drug safety education and awareness are certainly an important way we do that,” said Michael Tipton, Blue Cross Foundation president and head of Community Relations. “We were truly impressed with the quality of the students’ work and the power of the messages they created. We look forward to helping them reach more people with their videos so we can do our part to prevent future overdoses and deaths.”
Each team received a cash prize for participating, and WAFB will air Zachary High School’s winning video.
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