LiveFree! Youth Club at Pinellas Park High School builds display with Home Depot with over 100 pairs of shoes to illustrate youths killed in Florida last year  

Pinellas, FL – More than one hundred young people won’t tie their shoes ever again. More than one hundred parents won’t see their children again. One hundred missed friendships will be lost. These numbers are all too real and represent the number of youths ages 25 and under that have died in Florida alone from January to June of this past year.

The LiveFree! Club at Pinellas Park High School have collected pairs of shoes to visually represent the young lives lost from drug or alcohol related deaths in just six months in Florida. They are building a memorial to showcase at their student and community events to remind the public, and their teenage and young-adult friends, of the consequences that can happen when poor decisions are made regarding the use of alcohol or other drugs.

The carpentry and construction department of The Home Depot Store #6321 off Ulmerton Road in Largo is helping the LiveFree! youth group build the memorials at 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 27.

Store Manager, John Matz and pro carpenter Robert Smith, will be on-hand to help the youth create this very powerful and significant memorial in their community.

“They are donating the supplies and teaching the kids to build this display,” says Daphne Lampley, of LiveFree! Coalition. “They helped build the prototype of the frame of the shoe display to get the kids started.”

“These shoes are really special to us and show the tragedy of the situation,” says Phyllis Haley of LiveFree! Coalition. “There is nothing like seeing how many pairs of shoes line up to actually visualize how many kids have lost their lives in just the first part of this year.”

About LiveFree! Coalition

LiveFree! Coalition raises awareness about the harmful effects of substance abuse among youth, young adults and adults in Pinellas County. By offering trainings, advocacy, town hall meetings, a Speaker’s Bureau, environmental strategies and awareness events, LiveFree! encourages Pinellas County families to live safe, healthy and drug-free. For more information, visit our website at www.pinellascoalition.com or email us at livefree@operpar.org.

###