Youth from throughout Yavapai County spoke out against underage drinking by entering the annual MATFORCE Pizza Box Topper Contest. The theme for the contest was ‘Drinking under the age of 21 is not okay.’ Winning artwork will be displayed on pizza box tops during the week of Spring Break (March 12th – March 18th). Participating pizza vendors, who will be displaying the artwork, are from Prescott, Prescott Valley, Cottonwood, Camp Verde and Sedona.

The contest winners are: Angel Garcia, 5th grade, Big Park Community School, Sedona; Jazmolin Rosas, 7th grade, Clarkdale-Jerome School, Clarkdale; and William Schultz, 12th grade, Camp Verde High School, Camp Verde.

View winning posters

Create an anti-underage drinking poster. Get the message out: “Drinking under the age of 21 is NOT OK!”

Categories in K-12 grades

$100 cash prize in each category

Winning artwork used as pizza box topper

More details: Flyer
                       Guidelines

Thank you Cable One Advertising for producing this PSA, the Town of Prescott Valley for the use of their amphitheater, and to all of the organizations and community members that participated in this filming.

Together we are building healthier communities!

Heroin. Pills. It All Kills...

More people died from drug overdoses in 2014, than in any year on record. The majority of drug overdose deaths (more than six out of ten) involve an opioid.

And since 1999, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioid pain relievers and heroin) nearly quadrupled.

140 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.

MATFORCE Speakers Bureau member Jason Burns is a Hon Kachina Volunteer Award winner. Each year the Hon Kachina Council and St. Luke’s Health Initiatives honor deserving volunteers from across the state for their outstanding work in improving the lives of others in our communities. Burns was one of seven winners for 2016.

Jason, who is mentally and physically challenged from a drunk-driving accident in 2002, shares his story with children and young adults throughout Yavapai County; a story that on one hand is tragic and full of regret, but also uplifting and powerful.

Jason said, “I could allow my accident to define me or I could make something positive of my situation. It is very rewarding knowing I can make a difference in someone’s life just by sharing my own experiences. As a speaker for MATFORCE, I want students to understand that if I can save just one of them from going through what I did, that is payment enough for me.”

Watch Jason's story: https://youtu.be/HttpAwicVuM