Judge, medical examiner hand off Drug Free Collier leadership baton

After five years of relentless commitment to Drug Free Collier, Hon. Lauren Brodie, 20th Circuit Court judge, and Dr. Marta Coburn, Collier County chief medical examiner, have passed Drug Free Collier’s leadership baton on to a new president and vice president. Before we get acquainted with the new regime, however, a few words must be said about Judge Brodie and Dr. Coburn. These two women took a grass-roots concept and, with the assistance of Sheriff Kevin Rambosk, molded a substanceabuse coalition that has gained notoriety at both a local and national level.

Drug Free Collier’s mission is to reduce and prevent juvenile substance abuse. Judge Brodie, Dr. Coburn and Sheriff Rambosk, with the support of key stakeholders who became our first board of directors in 2005, have steadfastly united the community and spent most of their years in service to Drug Free Collier elevating awareness in Collier County.

In 2005, substance abuse was still a topic that many would have preferred not to address. It was the 500-pound gorilla in the room. Today, Drug Free Collier stands on the shoulders of giants who strived to create a drug-free community for the youth of Collier County. They can rest assured that the mission will continue.

Here are the words of words of our new president, Maj. Scott Salley, chief of corrections and judicial services of the Collier County Sheriff’s Office:

“Drug Free Collier has made great strides and accomplishments during the last few years. It will be my responsibility to preserve those viable programs and expand with additional programs… As a steward of the community, I will remain open and approachable to members of the community and to new and progressive ideas for preventing children from using illicit substances.

“What I have personally observed when children use illegal substances, goes beyond personal destruction — it cripples the entire family unit. Our community campaign regarding illegal substance prevention is not a new philosophy; however, it is a continuous educational reminder that we all need to be involved, and remain involved, with this social challenge.”

Both our new president and our new vice president, Marla Ramsey, administrator of public services for Collier County, have been with Drug Free Collier since its inception. Their efforts to create opportunities for our youth to enjoy drug-free and safe events have been numerous. For instance, Ms. Ramsey, the mother of a teenage daughter, has facilitated the use of the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon Park for three consecutive years for an end-of-the-school-year event through our community partner Collier County Parks and Recreation. Middle and high school students splash in the pools, listen to music and realize that alcohol, tobacco and other drugs are not necessary to have fun.

Last spring, more than 3,500 students attended Drug Free Collier’s Sun-N-Fun event. Thousands of children look forward to future community events that bring them together just to have fun in a safe environment.

The commitment of Drug Free Collier board members to reduce and prevent juvenile substance abuse is an example to our entire community.

Two new board members — Dr. Frank Nappo and Patricia Scoville —come to the coalition with a wealth of expertise and resources that will positively impact our mission.

Longstanding board members Helen Athan, Basil Bain, Vin De Pasquale, Christine Holmes, Shawn McGrail, Rey Pezeshkan and Elaine Wade are equally prepared to reach out to the community and unite Collier County.

Drug Free Collier hopes that you will join its mission. Each of us has something to weave into the fabric of prevention that one day will create a protective blanket to keep our children drug free and safe. 

— Maribel De Armas is the prevention

coordinator at Drug Free Collier. For

more information, call 377-4994 or visit

www.drugfreecollier.org.