The Bradford Midget Football League will sponsor a Truth About Drugs event at its championship games starting at noon Sunday at Parkway Field behind Bradford Area High School.

The event will be informative and entertaining with booklets, prizes, a drug-free pledge signing and “live commercials” by area officials, according to event organizer Jennifer Fitton.

Fitton said on Thursday the event was inspired by deaths from heroin overdoses she learned of that hit too close to home.

“I was looking into why this would happen, what it would take for these young kids to, by the time they’re in their 20s, to be addicted to heroin, and lie, cheat and steal from everyone they love and be in such dire straights after being just your average normal kids and involved in sports in high school,” Fitton explained. “I came across the Foundation for a Drug-Free World and saw that you can take action to try to reach kids before they get the lies.

“I ordered the educators kit for my homeschool group, but decided we should do it on a larger scale,” Fitton added. “My husband is David Fitton, commissioner of the Midget Football League, so I thought, ‘Why not take it to the championships?’”

Children and adults will have the opportunity at the event to sign a drug-free pledge. Also appearing and signing the pledge will be members of the high school football team, wrestling team and cheerleaders, as well as the Marching Owls drum line, Floyd C. Fretz Middle School cheerleaders, high school Drama Club, Criminal Justice Club and Key Club, according to Fitton.

Fitton said the pledge is for life, but those who sign it must “answer to themselves.”

“You can go online and sign the pledge, but we thought we’d have a pledge-signing event,” Fitton said.

The age targeted by the event is younger kids in the second, third, fourth grades — “before they go into junior high and hear those lies and are tempted to try illicit drugs,” Fitton said.

Area youth will receive informational booklets about drugs produced and distributed by a Foundation for a Drug-Free World. Some of the materials there will be informational booklets on heroin, cocaine, LSD, prescription drugs, alcohol, inhalants and marijuana, of which the medicinal side is addressed, according to Fitton.

There will be “live commercials” featuring Bradford City police and fire departments, Bradford High Drama Club and the community to help expose common lies believed by youth about drugs and alcohol, according to Fitton.

There will also be prizes and giveaways throughout the day, with a special surprise activity for all children present on the field during halftime of the last game, Fitton said. She noted that some of the prizes include t-shirts, music CDs and black and teal wrist bands to match the colors of the cause.

The event will have two theme songs, “Gold” by Britt Nicole, and “Hall of Fame” by The Scripts, according to Fitton, who said, “the message is they are too valuable to give their life away.”

Cheerleaders and football players’ names will be drawn to win the CDs donated by Believers Chapel and Fitton 8 Development, according to Fitton. She said donations have also been received from Bradford High SALSA Club and Bradford High Football Boosters, Bradford Junior Olympic Wrestling Club and others that were anonymous.

During each game of the championship, a cheerleader will be randomly picked from each team and given a tiara to wear as the Drug Free Championship Princess for the game, according to Fitton.

Organizers will also hand out a Bradford Owls number one fan award to Matthew Whelan, who was born with spina bifida and has suffered several health complications in the past year. “He will be brought on the field as long as the weather cooperates,” Fitton said. “We’re honoring him as a champion. His mother, Susan Bruno, said he is ready to be back on the sidelines supporting all of his favorite Bradford teams.”

Fitton said it is the first year for the event, but she hopes to do again in future years.

“There’s been a wonderful response from the community,” she said. “In fact, I’m getting phone calls still from people who want to be involved. People are just reaching out — we’ve had several donations from individuals and area businesses who really see a need for it in the community. Our area is struggling with drug addiction.”

According to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, if a child tries smoking or drinking alcohol during adolescence, they are 50 times more likely to use cocaine later in life, Fitton said. Children often believe lies surrounding drugs and alcohol, but if armed with this knowledge, they are less likely to experiment with and use illicit drugs, the Foundation states.

Parents may not know how to talk to their children about drugs, and often may not be educated on the facts, and it is the intent of the Bradford Midget Football League to promote athleticism and healthy choices in its youth and in the community, according to Fitton.