Straight, Inc.
HON. FRANK R. WOLF
OF VIRGINIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Monday, May 24, 1982
Mr. Wolf. Mr. Speaker, I want to bring to the attention of my colleagues the opening of a drug rehabilitation program called Straight, spearheaded by parents and business people in the 10th Congressional District of Virginia which has overwhelming importance to our young people and thus to the entire Nation. The greater Washington area program is modeled after the successful original Straight program in St. Petersburg, Fla., which has helped approximately 2,000 young people become responsible, drug-free citizens again. With the country's growing drug abuse problem, now reaching into the middle and elementary schools to exploit the youngest and most vulnerable individuals in our society, this type of help is vitally needed.
Adolescent drug and alcohol abuse has become America's fastest growing health problem. Drug users are not necessarily children from underprivileged families as commonly believed, but more often from well-to-do and unsuspecting families at higher income levels. It makes sense that these children are better able to obtain large sums of money to support their drug habits, as well as keeping them hidden from their families.
Straight, Inc. is a nonprofit, privately funded, family oriented program which provides rehabilitation services for 12 to 21-year-old drug users from around the country. It focuses on family participation and positive peer pressure to reinstate a positive self-regard and self-respect to the young person. Straight accepts no money from any level of government. All operational proceeds are from the families it serves and donations from interested groups and individuals within the community.
Although the St. Petersburg program has accepted cases from all over the country including many from the greater Washington area, the facility is rapidly approaching the time when the need for its services will far surpass its capacity. Moreover, there are literally thousands of other families who could benefit from this program but cannot afford to send their children to Florida. The Northern Virginia Organizing Committee has already received hundreds of calls from area families who need help. I support their work and want to endorse the committee's present campaign to solicit contributions from corporations, businesses, foundations, churches, civic clubs, and individual citizens in order to obtain financial support to bring this highly effective treatment program to this area. The group's first public event to raise funds to support Straight will come June 26-27, during "Straight Weekend for Greater Washington," when area business will donate percentages of their profits to this worthy cause.
Straight is an excellent example of people, not government, helping other people. This is the spirit that made our country great and will keep it that way for young and old alike. I commend the 83 area families who are working so hard to establish the Straight program in northern Virginia. If you would like further information about "Straight Weekend for Greater Washington" or other aspects of the program, I encourage you to contact the Northern Virginia Organizing Committee at 703-476-3760 as soon as possible.
[this is from The Congressional Record, 1982, page 11567][ This Message was edited by: fka on 2005-05-26 07:34 ]
