Lee County VOICE Volunteers

How do you get the message across to 2,000 fifth graders about making good choices and saying no to drugs and alcohol? Get volunteers in the community to put on a walk-through play that graphically illustrates the deadly results of underage drinking and drinking and driving.

With the help of Lee County VOICE (Volunteer Observers Impacting Community Effort), the Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida coordinates Drug House Odyssey, a program that has carried for 20 years an important message of prevention. Some 35 county agencies and organizations participate in this program, and the VOICE volunteers make sure everything runs smoothly – from managing parking to helping with tours of the set, to acting in the play.

Additionally, VOICE Volunteers play an integral role in Prescription Drug Take Back events, which have resulted in thousands of pounds of unused and expired prescription opioids and other drugs being turned in and destroyed appropriately, preventing them from being diverted to kids.

Many VOICE Volunteers are retirees who contribute their time to make the community safer, collectively giving 25,000 hours annually. They foster intergenerational relationships with the youth they serve, discussing together the dangerous repercussions of underage drinking or drug use.

Know anyone doing exceptional volunteer work? When you share their story with Points of Light, we can help bring more attention and support to their cause. To nominate volunteers who are doing excellent work in the community for a Daily Point of Light award, go to http://www.pointsoflight.org/programs/recognition/dpol/nomination