Box Elder's MacDonald featured student speaker at anti-meth event

Staff and wire report

A Box Elder High School student was the featured speaker this week at the kickoff of an event to promote drug prevention.

Box Elder student Juliet MacDonald spoke in Helena at the launch of The Montana Meth Project's Paint the State 2023, a statewide public art contest that engages Montana teens and adults in on-the-ground drug prevention.

The contest invites Montana residents 13 years of age and older to create monument-sized original public works of art that inspire Montanans to live vibrant drug-free lives incorporating the Meth Project's "Not Even Once" message.

"The Montana Meth Project is excited to announce Paint the State 2023 to bring light to the meth problem in our state and engage Montanans in much-needed in-person drug prevention outreach," said Amy Rue, executive director of the Montana Meth Project. "We invite teens and adults to tap their creativity and community spirit and register now for Paint the State."

Registration is currently open at https://PaintTheState.org. Individuals and groups may register to create their large-scale public art installations in teen and adult divisions. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top regional submissions and to statewide winners. 

"Combating the meth crisis has become more urgent as methamphetamine-related overdoses, hospitalizations, and deaths increase," Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte said. "I encourage Montanans to join the Paint the State initiative by creating public works of art that stir and inspire all Montanans to live drug-free." 

"We've been talking a lot recently about the dangers of illicit fentanyl in Montana, and rightly so, as it is a new and emerging threat. However, methamphetamine is still king and it's the reason behind the drastic increase of crime in our state over the past decade," Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. "With the increased purity of lab-made methamphetamine - and the presence of fentanyl in it ... it's more critical now than ever to prevent young Montanans from trying it even one time."

Individual artists are invited to share their talents by participating in Paint the State, as well as youth groups, service organizations, and treatment and recovery groups as an impactful community outreach project. 

"The learning and authentic peer-to-peer dialogue that happens while creating a community art project is invaluable. Participants really become drug prevention ambassadors," Rue said "We encourage anyone who is part of a school or youth group, including junior high and high school classes, 4-H, FFA, Scouts, faith groups and other teen-serving organizations, to participate. Additionally, we hope that Montana adults in treatment and recovery will join this initiative."

Business and landowners in communities where projects are happening are asked to donate art supplies and materials and offer public places for the art installations. 

All artwork must be installed by June 30. Judging will take place over the summer, and the public will have the opportunity to vote online for the People's Choice Award. The Meth Project will announce the winners in late summer. People can register and learn more at PaintTheState.org.

Paint the State is supported completely by private funding. Donors to date include the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, Stockman Bank, Town Pump, the Gilhousen Family Foundation and Pennmont Foundation. 

Paint the State is a program of the Montana Meth Project. Initially launched in 2006, this statewide public art contest leverages the creativity and passion of Montanans to communicate the risks of Methamphetamine use and inspire vibrant drug-free lives. Through the contest, hundreds of monument-sized public works of art with the "Not Even Once" message have been created across Montana. Registration is now open for the 2023 contest at PaintTheState.org.

The Montana Meth Project is a large-scale prevention program aimed at reducing first-time teen meth use through public service messaging and community outreach. The nonprofit was founded in 2005 by businessman and philanthropist Tom Siebel as a private-sector response to Montana's critical public health issue. Named the third most effective philanthropy in the world by Barron's in its global ranking, the organization has been credited with significant declines in teen meth use. People can learn more at https://MontanaMeth.org .