It is organizations such as Real Life that truly make a difference in young people’s lives.  This can be documented by the numerous letters they have received from teenagers expressing their gratitude for the programs the Real Life volunteers presented to them.  These young people are shown that it is acceptable in today’s society to not participate in sexual activity until marriage.

~ Steve Austria

U. S. Senator

 

I want to express my appreciation for the good work being done in the Springfield area by Real Life.  Abstinence education is vital to helping solve social problems that impact our community.  This program is an important tool in combating the consequences from teens who make bad decisions.  Teen pregnancy, STD’s and dropping out of school are just some of the problems that occur all too often in our schools and have tragic social and economic consequences.

~ Daniel Martin

Springfield City Commissioner

 

Real Life instructors have been informing and educating our students on at-risk behaviors and their consequences both the positive and negative ones for four years now.  They do a great job and the students respond very positively to the instruction and are eager to participate and share in the learning process.  As a health educator, I feel Real Life does have a positive affect on our student body.

~ Lynnette Roeth

Graham Middle School Health Educator

 

The lessons presented by the teachers are entertaining, enriching and educationally appropriate for the students.  The teachers are always well prepared and well informed, and connect with the students.  My students appear to have a much better grasp on the abstinence concept once the program has been introduced to them.  I have heard many of the students comment after they have had the program about how much they want to stay abstinent until they are married.

~ Nancy Wilson

8th Grade Health Teacher, Troy Junior High

 

Real Life shows my students how the decisions they make today can affect their future in positive and negative ways and how choosing to be sexually abstinent can protect them not only physically but emotionally as well.  The teachers for Real Life take the time to get to know the students and show them how being abstinent can affect them personally.

~ Mendy Holtz

Greenview High School Health Teacher

 

In this rapidly changing world of ours, beside a media and entertainment industry dousing young adults with misconceptions about morals and values on TV and in movies, we as middle school health teachers, have a tough job of educating our youth regarding the dangers involved with these temptations.  Sometimes we cannot do it alone with the outdated books and videos provided to us by our financially struggling schools.  This is why we need and organization like Real Life to teach abstinence and reach these adolescents to make them aware of the health and emotional dangers and answer their specific questions regarding sex, alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.

~ Alan Bertke

8th Grade Health Instructor, Ferguson Middle School

 

I feel as an educator it is our duty to identify and teach skills to our students that will empower them to make healthy life choices that will not only lengthen, but also enhance, the quality of their lives.  I fell that it is through programs like the ones presented by Real Life, that these students grow and gain the skills that help them be better suited for the world they face.

~ Thomas Hicks

WMS Health Teacher

 

Students need to understand communicable diseases and their transmission in order to make wise decisions about their physical and mental health, both now and in the future.  Abstinence based education helps students understand the importance of these decisions in their everyday life.

~ Lois A. Stoll

Family and Consumer Sciences, Benjamin Logan High School