One person can really make a difference!  It sounds quite plain and for some people kind of cheesy but if you come to think of it, this is the most frequently asked social question and there are many examples to support the notion.

Jeff Huff went to a Kiwanis Club meeting one day back in 1984 and heard the speaker talk about drug use and its impact on children and their families. He was so moved by the information that he stayed around to ask the speaker how he could help. The speaker was June Milam, DREAM’s CEO for 23 years. Before he knew it, Jeff was a DREAM board member—for over 20 years!

You could say that Jeff held on to DREAM’s mission and never let it go. Many organizations that I work with lament about the challenges of finding board members who are more than just a warm body and a pulse. Jeff was so much more. He had all the qualities that board members should have--integrity, diplomacy, insight, dedication and extremely good listening skills. Because of those qualities, Jeff served in several leadership roles including treasurer, audit committee chair and Board of Directors chair.

On February 6th, 2010, Jeff was called to a greater service and left this earth having made it a much better place and DREAM an even better organization. His untimely death was shocking and devastating. He was our beloved board chair, navigator, cheerleader and friend who called board meetings to order with a prayer, donated his personal finances, advised on sensitive matters and just called or came by to ask, “How are things going?”  We hardly made a move without him and would never hear of him not renewing his term. The other board members saw him as the anchor, the wise counselor and the stabilizer. He once said that if he ever left the board, he would always support us. We feel that support and it has inspired us to continue to work to exceed Jeff’s high expectations of us.

To DREAM, one man made a big difference.

This just in:

Four small brewing companies have heeded warnings by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and have agreed to stop shipping their seven alcoholic energy drinks.

The companies and their products are:

• Charge Beverages Corp.: Core High Gravity HG, Core High Gravity HG  Orange, and Lemon Lime Core Spiked
• New Century Brewing Co., LLC: Moonshot
• United Brands Company Inc.: Joose and Max
• Phusion Projects, LLC (doing business as Drink Four Brewing Co.): Four Loko

Also, this week the Drug Enforcement Agency took emergency action to outlaw five chemicals (JWH-018, JWH-073, JWH-200, CP-47,497, and cannabicyclohexanol) that are used to make synthetic marijuana, meaning it will be illegal to possess or sell them in the U.S. for at least one year.  In the meantime, the DEA will determine if the substance should be permanently controlled.  For now, the drug is classified as a Schedule 1 drug, meaning it is unsafe, highly addictive, and has no medicinal usage.

 For information regarding these drugs, see DREAM's Prevention section.

DREAM, Inc.'s very own Caroline Newkirk along with Mississippians Advocating Against Underage Drinking (MAAUD) swept the Capitol to pull for support of the passing of a bill that would eliminate the loophole that allows for the consumption of alcohol by underage kids. 

Check out the special newscast from WLBT right here.

Find out more about the consumption bill and how you can help support underage drinking prevention by contacting Caroline Newkirk at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it   or 601.933.9165.