On Tuesday, April 22, FAAR spent the day in Stamford CT with one of our favorite Ask, Listen, Learn partners Congressman Jim Himes! April is Alcohol Awareness Month and we had a blast doing back to back Ask, Listen, Learn events this week, first at Arlington Science Focus School and then yesterday at Villa Maria School in CT! Rep. Himes spent the morning at Villa Maria talking to a group of students about the dangers of underage drinking and the importance of keeping an open dialogue with parents and mentors. The Congressman also discussed his own memories of middle school, recalling how confusing a time it can be. Having role models and mentors to talk to about peer pressure along with learning about the very serious dangers associated with underage drinking is so important for students at this time in their life.

Congressman Himes even spoke to the kids about his experience working as an EMT and how it has served as a constant reminder of the importance of alcohol awareness.  Seeing first-hand the life threatening and even fatal consequences of drinking and driving is part of the reason Rep. Himes continues to partner with FAAR each year to spread the Ask, Listen, Learn message to as many students as possible.

The Villa Maria students not only learned how to say “YES to a healthy lifestyle and NO to underage drinking” but also had the opportunity to learn more about Rep. Himes’ job as a U.S. Representative and even had the chance to share some ideas for Congressman Himes to bring to Washington!

Before wrapping up the event with some running on the Ask, Listen, Learn game, the students at Villa Maria and Principal Sister Carol Ann had a little surprise for Congressman Himes!  Principal Sister Carol Ann presented Rep. Himes with his very first “unbirthday” gift, an idea Villa Maria School got from Alice and Wonderland! So even though his birthday isn’t for a few months, Villa Maria presented him with a piece of original artwork as a thank you for spending the morning with them!

So a big THANK YOU to Villa Maria school, Sister Carol Ann, and of course Congressman Jim Himes for such a fun Ask, Listen, Learn event and for joining the conversation about #Responsibility during Alcohol Awareness Month!