Life Choices brings Life Maze for students to Lannom Center

Eighth-grader Mackenzie Moody, daughter of Barbara Moody, poses for her mug shot and finds out what it means to be incarcerated, if she takes a wrong turn in the 'Maze of Life.'

Life Choices Medical Clinic of Dyersburg staff (L-R): Marla Kennedy (prevention program director) and Kim Hampton, RN (executive director).

The Dyersburg Lannom Center was full of middle-school students Friday as they were introduced to the "Life Maze" presented by Life Choices of Dyersburg. Started three years ago, Life Maze gives students a chance to see what can happen when they make a bad choice. Whether its drugs, sex, criminal activity, or other bad behavior, students got to experience first hand what could happen.

Kim Hampton, RN and executive director of Life Choices, Dyersburg, said: "What we're doing is giving kids a chance to see how the decisions they might make tomorrow could affect the rest of their lives. We walk them through those consequences so they could possibly change what they decide to do today in real life. This gives them a safe place to see the negative and positive outcomes of their choices and how those choices can affect the rest of their lives. We hope this experience might affect what they decide to do after they leave here today. That's our goal."

Christi Bane shows the students what harm tobacco can do to their teeth, lungs, and health in general.

Marla Kennedy, prevention program director, added, "This is our third year doing this. Today we have about 750 eighth-grade students from the Dyer County School System. We have Northview, Three Oaks, Dyersburg and Crockett County middle schools. Wednesday night was our community night and we had about 150 people come through then."

Hampton said: "We try to be as realistic as possible. Each station is manned by volunteers that work in that profession so they can show kids what would really happen. Each kid then goes through an exit interview with their school's counselor or teacher before leaving." That way, when they're back at school, they have an adult present with which to consult for advice.

Randy Butler, CEO of YMCA Dyer County, teaches students: good nutrition + exercise = good health.

Life Choices currently reaches over 4,000 students in four Northwest Tennessee counties including Crockett, Dyer, Haywood and Lauderdale. They focus on students in grades 6-9 and strive to equip them with goal-setting, future-thinking, and refusal skills, self-assurance, and avoidance of risky behaviors (e.g. drugs, alcohol, sex, etc.).