Red ribbons bring awareness to Elgin drug prevention campaign

Volunteers and community members spent part of their Saturday tying red ribbons on a pair of downtown Elgin bridges to raise awareness for the need for drug abuse prevention.

The Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Elgin invited the public to help tie ribbons on the Chicago Street and Highland Avenue bridges to raise awareness about the drug problems facing kids in America. About 450 ribbons were tied to the spindles on the bridges.

The campaign is part of Red Ribbon Week, the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention awareness campaign. It is observed nationally each October. This is the third year of the ribbon-tying event in Elgin.