San Francisco, home to the highest percentage of regular drug users of any major metropolitan area in the nation, also played host to the half-century anniversary of the Super Bowl this year—the famed “Super Bowl 50.”
“From day one, we wanted to make this about more than a game,” said host committee chairman Daniel Lurie.
Fulfilling that vision, and as over a million football enthusiasts from across the country descended upon downtown San Francisco, 154 Drug-Free World volunteers took to the streets to educate each and every one.
The volunteer team began with visits to 366 local shops, an immediate avenue for reaching locals and tourists alike. One-for-one, store owners embraced the program and took their own sets of the hard-hitting Truth About Drugs booklets to distribute to customers.
Concurrently, volunteers visited each of San Francisco’s ten police stations, where officers in need of effective educational tools were eager to receive the materials.
Meanwhile, volunteers manned every entrance to the six-block Super Bowl City—the massive Bay Area showcase erected in advance of the big game—distributing tens of thousands of The Truth About Drugs booklets, one passerby at a time and into the teeth of commercial-message overload.
One group of young Denver Broncos fans in full fan regalia were so struck by the booklet they jumped in and began distributing as well. A parking garage attendant followed suit, handing a booklet out to each exiting car.
Everyone including recovery counselors and pastors expressed their appreciation for the work of the Foundation and its volunteers. Many had personal stories, like the young man who had recently lost a friend to overdose or the cookie-selling Girl Scout who said her friend was on drugs and took an extra booklet.
In total, 315,500 booklets were distributed in the largest US Truth About Drugs booklet distribution to date—a project of 1,005 volunteer man-hours.
To this day, the Foundation still hears from those who took booklets on the streets of San Francisco, as they call in requesting further materials so they too can make a difference.
So, yes, Super Bowl 50 was about more than a game. It was about turning the tide on drug abuse and creating a better future for all.
