Jim Snider admits that when he was younger, he made some choices that negatively affected his life and his future.

But now, he has built a career on attempting to prevent young people from walking down the wrong path in life.

Mr. Snider, 57, has been the on-site prevention specialist in the Rossford school district through the Wood County Educational Service Center for five years.

Before coming to Rossford, he had interacted with students of all ages in the Eastwood, Elmwood, Lake, and Otsego school districts during his nearly 25-year tenure of working in the field of adolescent chemical dependency and prevention.

For efforts in trying to keep students drug-free, Mr. Snider was given statewide recognition when he accepted the 2006 Enrique Camarena Award earlier this year.

"It was humbling because as far as prevention goes, it's the highest honor in the state," Mr. Snider said. "I knew there was a lot of prestige in the award."

The award is named in honor of Enrique Camarena, an undercover U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who broke up several drug trafficking bands around the world before he was murdered in 1985 by drug dealers in Mexico.

Though Mr. Snider said he was honored to be nominated and receive the award, that's not the focus of his daily work. "I really do what I do because I want to make a difference," he said. "It's not about receiving awards."

Mr. Snider, of Reno Beach in Jerusalem Township, said he discovered how much he enjoyed working with children when he began volunteering at Toledo Hospital. So, he went on to get the training he needed to become a treatment technician at the hospital, a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor, and a state-certified prevention specialist.

As the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs (ATOD) prevention specialist at Rossford schools, Mr. Snider is responsible for coordinating prevention programs for children in most grade levels - from the Beginning Alcoholism and Addiction Basic Education Studies (BABES) program for second graders to the Teen Institute peer-prevention program at the senior high school level.

He also coordinates the Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs program for fourth graders; the Botvin's Life Skills researched-based prevention curriculum for seventh and ninth graders; the Junior Teen Institute, and the Stay Tobacco-Free Athletes Mentoring Program (STAMP), among others.

"He's a good role model for the kids, and they really respect him," Rossford High School Principal Ron Grimm said. "He takes the bull by the horns and isn't afraid to go out there and be proactive. He's pretty low-key, but he can get the job done."

Mr. Snider said he believes that prevention needs to be addressed throughout the course of adolescence so it becomes a part of a child's belief system.

"My philosophy is, prevention is a puzzle - there's a lot of things that need to be in place," he said. "The more pieces we put in, the more we help our young students. You just do what you do and hope you are successful in impacting children's lives."

Contact Erika Ray at:

eray@theblade.com

or 419-724-6088.

First Published April 30, 2007, 12:21 p.m.