FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (EASTON, MD – April 16, 2010)
Talbot Youth Coalition Feature – Part 1 of Series
Talbot Youth Encourages Teens to Live Healthy Lives
There is a sparkle in eighteen-year old Sawyer Spurry’s eyes when he talks about his passion for helping others – a genuine interest in learning about people from all walks of life so that he can learn to better serve the world.
Spurry, a senior at St. Michaels High School, helped found the Talbot Youth Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse, a new teen organization founded a year ago to encourage and support drug-free youth, establishing clear no tobacco, alcohol or other drug use. The Coalition’s program, open to youth ages 13 to 18, stresses youth community development and personal growth, where teens play key roles in program, agenda, decision-making and activities while developing leadership skills.
He comments, “I became interested in starting the Talbot Youth Coalition through Talbot Partnership after being a member of Students Helping Other People (SHOP) at St. Michaels High School. I wanted to be involved with an organization with a broader community focus, beyond just my school. Through this organization, I am meeting kids from other schools in the region.”
Talbot Youth Coalition has grown in number from three or four teens to nearly 50 active teens in less than a year. Activities the organization has hosted have included a pool party that drew 70 participants, tie-dye parties, Open-Mic nights, and dances at the YMCA of Talbot County. The group fundraises for its events and receives some assistance from Talbot Partnership.
Spurry adds, “Because of the high use of drugs and alcohol among teens in our county, our goal is to show teens that there is a social outlet where they can have fun without drugs and alcohol. Teens involved in the Coalition are regular, likeable teens. They are not unusual or ‘uncool.’ They simply want something better for themselves.”
Sawyer Spurry of St. Michaels, a senior at St. Michaels High School, was a founding member of the Talbot Youth Coalition Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse.
When asked about why teens might drink and use drugs here, he answers, “I think what gets youth on track to use drugs and alcohol is that they are not challenged enough, not given enough responsibility, and not given enough respect. Instead of having a badge of inclusion for using drugs and alcohol, we offer youth another badge of inclusion. When you don’t use alcohol and drugs, you model for others, who may be victims of it, that there is another path where they can be included and make a difference.”
Spurry hopes to make a difference with his life as he goes off to the University of Maryland in the fall to become a physician. He has been involved in Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) to explore a career in health care. After participating in a forum at Georgetown University two years ago, he decided that he wanted to be a physician.
He says, “I am interested in helping other people live healthy lives. I feel that each of us needs to be living for a purpose and making a statement with our lives. This is how I can give back for the incredible privileges I have had in my life.”
Among Spurry’s extracurricular activities are varsity tennis, and serving as a volunteer with Partners in Care, president of the Tidewater Chapter of the National Honor Society, and a member of the Student Government Association and Yearbook staff.
