Using educational materials of Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a KC pastor is helping kids make the self-determined decision to be drug-free.

With the age of first-time drug users plummeting, Kansas City Pastor Melvin Merritt, Founder of non-profit Penny Mill Foundation, says educating youth about drugs is more important now than ever.

A study released last summer ranked Missouri third-worst in the country for its drug use, based on a review of arrests, overdose rates, opioid prescriptions and other factors.

Doing his part to help change current drug trends, Pastor Merritt hosted his annual bowling excursion for kids in partnership with Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a nonprofit public benefit corporation supported by the Church of Scientology. The Foundation empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free.

Pastor Merritt uses the bowling excursion “to inform children and let them know how important it is to make the commitment to be drug-free.” He says “I am just trying to the community positive information. If even one person gets the message you have accomplished what you set out to do.”

“Kids these days grow up in communities where they see people setting a bad example,” says Merritt. He wants to let them know the fallout—the damage that drugs and alcohol can do.

Every youngster received a copy of the Truth About Drugs booklet and a “Be Drug-Free” drawstring bag. They all signed a pledge to live drug-free and to educate others to stay off drugs, and they took extra Truth About Drugs booklets to hand out to their friends and families so that they can spread awareness about what drugs really are and how they affect a person’s body, mind and life.

Penny Mill Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on bringing together the various ethnic groups in Kansas City, empowering the community, and showing young people that they are all very necessary in our world. To find out more about Penny Mill Foundation, visit pennymillinc.org.

To find out more about the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, visit the Drug-Free World website.

Anyone wishing to educate others on the harmful effects of drugs is invited to R.S.V.P. to attend the Drug-Free World Open House on Saturday, March 7th at 1:00 p.m. at the Church of Scientology of Kansas City, 1805 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64108  The Church also offers free training to anyone wishing to learn to use these drug education materials. Contact Angie or Emma at (816) 753-6590.