By CECIL PERGRAM
Times Editor
SPARK Ministries and Powell County Schools partnered together to give a presentation to students in the form of the Grim Reaper Program which is designed to teach students that the decisions they make canned sometimes and in death.
“It’s about trying to bring awareness to our young people about the different choices we make especially before prom night about the dangers of texting and driving, drinking and driving, and doing things that’s not responsible,” SPARK Founder Jenelle Brewer said. “We’re just trying to bring awareness to our kids by SPARK ministries and our schools partnering together to let them know we’re here to help them if they ever need anything.”
Brewer says the program was known as the “Ghost Out” in the past, she says this is the first time SPARK was part of the program.
“The Ghost Out has been going on for years but this is the first year with SPARK ministries we went into the partnered with them,” Brewer said. “We contacted the Family Resource Center and asked them to allow us to do some kind of program that would help with prom. We didn’t create the program they (Family Resource Center) pretty much gave us the program and told us to do what ever we wanted to do.”
The program featured testimonies, a brief introduction into SPARK Ministries and a video of a mock wreck filmed in 2015, before 12 students were pronounced dead by Steve Daughtry who was acting as the coroner during the program.
“We wanted to show the kids the dangers about texting and driving we thought it would speak volumes to our kids,” Brewer said.
Brewer says her goals for the program was to raise awareness and to let the community know SPARK is attempting to help the county’s youth.
“I want to let our community know we at SPARK ministries are trying to reach our young people in the community to let them know there is people that they come to us when they need us,” Brewer said.
Taylor Southwood spoke to students about how she was raised as a cheerleader and how she still fell into addiction.
Dewayne Mullins also spoke to students about his story how he was raised on a bad end of town and fell into his own battle with addiction.
Local Attorney Powell County Attorney Jarrod Rose spoke to students about making the right decisions so their lives didn’t have to end the same way as the dozen of students who were playing dead as they participated in the program.
Brewer says she would like thank all those who helped participate in the Grim Reaper program including members of Public Defenders Office, Lisa Whisman, Dewayne Deeton who played the Grim Reaper, Steve Daughtry played a coroner, Missy Fall, Tammy Puckett, Brooke Tipton, Jarrod Rose, Amanda Adkins, Bill Bowen, Kevin Babcock, Ben Liston, Dale Allen, Taylor Southwood and Dewayne Mullins.
Brewer says she would also like to thank the Family Resource Center and Powell County High School Principal Doug Brewer for allowing a partnership with SPARK ministries.