South Beach servers commit to Be the Wall

South Beach Grill recently became the first restaurant in St. Johns County to participate in the “Be the Wall” underage drinking prevention campaign according to a report received by Historic City News from Heidi Matheny this week.

Matheny, who is Coalition Coordinator for the local PACT Prevention Coalition of St. Johns County, said that “Be the Wall” is a state-wide campaign which focuses on the adolescent brain and its development into the mid-20’s.

St. Johns County was the first county to implement the seller and server component of the campaign to hospitality industry workers who often serve alcohol. The campaign includes an interactive website, www.BeTheWall.org, as well as educational and promotional materials including coasters, t-shirts and pens.

“Participating in the “Be the Wall” campaign is one of the ways we are doing our part to help keep underage youth from consuming alcohol,” said South Beach Grill owner Ted McLemore. “We understand the importance of keeping alcohol out of the hands of those who are underage and this is a way for us to be a part of a state-wide effort to help curb this issue.”

“Be the Wall” stresses:
– even short-term or moderate drinking impairs learning and memory
– teen drinkers are more likely to develop a drug addiction
– damage from alcohol during these years can be long-term and irreversible
– teen drinkers perform worse in school and are more likely to fall behind
– teen drinkers have an increased risk of social problems and violence
– teen drinkers are more likely to suffer depression and suicidal thoughts

South Beach Grill trained employees on the dangers of underage drinking and displayed promotional materials throughout the restaurant to help endorse the campaign to its guests.

The free training was provided by a Department of Children and Families grant received by PACT Prevention Coalition. The “Be the Wall” campaign asks hospitality industry sellers and servers to be clear, be firm and be consistent by being the wall between teens and alcohol.

PACT Prevention Coalition is dedicated to making St. Johns County a healthy substance-free community for our youth through prevention, advocacy, choices and teamwork. Restaurants interested in participating in the “Be the Wall” campaign should call (904) 829-6261.

Photo credits: © 2011 Historic City News contributed photograph by Heidi Matheny