Drug Awareness Program / Committee

From the main Elks.org website:

The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks has committed itself to a program of drug awareness directed at young people in grades four through nine and their parents. This program was formally established in 1983… Since that time, the state associations and the Lodges of the Order have devoted countless voluntary hours to this program. All of this activity has resulted in numerous projects and programs that have been extremely successful.

The Rock Hill Lodge has volunteered several hundred hours of volunteer hours dedicated to provide information to our youth. Our time has been spent mainly at community and school events.  The South Carolina Elks State Association has a number of trailers filled with brochures, exibits, and demonstrations that we use at these events. The materials we distribute are meant to bring about understanding of the what illegal drugs may look like, the damaging effects of their use, and to provide support in how to avoid them.

Some of the exhibits we demonstrate to people include the “Fatal Vision Goggles”, which are a pair of safety goggles with modified glasses inside that, when worn, give the experience of a drug-induced disorientation. Participants are asked to walk a straight line, but few can.

Another exhibit the SC Elks State Assoc. provides is a modified remote controlled go-kart. When a participant steps in and begins to drive around, everything operates as it should. However, when our volunteer member activates an impaired driving mode, all controls work on a delay. This operation is meant to simulate an inebriated driver. (Safety features of the exhibit keep the participant from injuring him or herself, or others around.)