When competing in the Mrs. America pageant in Las Vegas, Green River’s Mrs. Wyoming American Bree McMullen was inspired following a dinner with Michael DeLeon, who speaks to schools and students about drug prevention, which was presented through the Victoria’s Voice foundation.
The foundation, founded by David and Jackie Siegel, was named after their daughter Victoria, who had died at age 18 of a drug overdose. The couple published Victoria’s diary to help give parents insight into how addiction develops and help curb the desire for drug experimentation and change the way people see drugs.
For McMullen, a mother of five children, three of which are teenagers, DeLeon’s presentation struck a chord with her.
“This is the answer to everything I need right now,” she recalls thinking to herself.
McMullen said vaping and drug use is a problem teens face throughout the nation and following DeLeon’s presentation, started working with Sweetwater County’s two school districts to bring the message DeLeon and Victoria’s Voice have to students throughout the county.
“We’re losing so many kids, we might not have a Mrs. America or a President from this generation,” McMullen said. “When you think about it, that’s scary.”
In Green River, students at Green River High School will attend DeLeon’s presentation Feb. 24, with a second presentation set that afternoon at Lincoln Middle School. Later that night, LMS will host a community meeting for parents and residents focused on raising drug-free and healthy children. That discussion takes place at 6:30 p.m. at the school’s auditorium.
Following the presentation to students, McMullen said plans are in place to create Victory Clubs at the school districts. The clubs are established through Victoria’s Voice and reward students for not being involved with drugs or use of vaping products.
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