The Michael Valdes Foundation proudly partners with NOPE, Narcotics  Overdose Prevention and Education, in funding an annual scholarship to a  deserving Hillsborough County senior who joins us in fighting to end  the epidemic of drug abuse and overdose.

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The Michael Valdes Foundation, in partnership with the NOPE  Foundation, surprised two soon-to-graduate seniors of Hillsborough  County Public Schools – Mackenzie Young of George Steinbrenner High  School PTSA and Eden Abraham of Paul R. Wharton High School – by  presenting these students with $1,000 scholarship checks! The students  were required to write essays as part of the scholarship application;  Eden’s essay is structured around 3 important lessons:

• Breaking the code of silence: Most teenagers do not  want to be a “snitch” or “tattletale”, so they tend to keep quiet when  they see something they aren’t supposed to. However, when it comes to  possibly overdosing on drugs, there should be no “code of silence”. If  you are a witness or even participating in drugs yourself, it is  important to call for help if someone’s life might be in danger.
• It only takes one time to kill: Some people are  under the impression that you are only at risk if you take multiple  pills. I understand that teenagers sometimes feel invincible or just  want to fit in, but they do not understand the risk they are putting  themselves in, even by doing it once just to try it.
• 911 Good Samaritan Law: Many students do not  report if someone is overdosing on substances because they do not want  to get in trouble for doing the same thing. However, this law does  protect the caller from legal trouble & encourages people to call  911 if they believe someone is showing signs of overdose.

The  Michael Valdes Foundation is grateful for the thousands of students who  have been educated & empowered by the NOPE presentations.

2020 was a challenging year for most, including seniors in high schools across the Tampa Bay Area. NOPE of Hillsborough made many students’ end of the year a little bit brighter with a $1,000  check. This video highlights what these seniors took away from our NOPE  student presentation and how they will carry our stories and messages  forward.

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