Known as “the Seattle sound,” the music was a fusion of punk rock and heavy metal that people began calling “grunge.” Local bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains rocketed—seemingly overnight—from local heroes to internationally known rock icons.
One of those influenced by that scene was Seattle drummer Dave Scattergood. He and his band recorded in the same studio where Soundgarden and Pearl Jam cut their early albums.
“These people were our idols,” he said. “They were gifted, they were talented. They were making incredible music.”
But Scattergood soon saw the darker side of the Seattle grunge scene: drugs. Heroin in particular.
“It’s very easy to fall into the trap of drugs when you’re in the music industry,” he said. “We really looked up to those bands. They were everything we wanted to be. Then we started losing them.”
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was among the early casualties, followed by others equally famous, then others less well known, but no less painful.
“It impacted me a lot harder than I thought it would,” said Scattergood, who watched drug use shatter the music scene that had been his.
“The only way to get out of that situation is to educate youth about what drugs are. And if I’m not going to do it, who is?”
Scattergood moved to San Diego, where he met his wife before returning to Seattle to raise a family there.
But though the city’s music scene had revived, drugs were still prevalent. Nineteen percent of the city’s population was abusing drugs, including kids as young as 12.
Knowing his own children could become targets of drug pushers, Scattergood one day asked them point-blank: If you wanted to get drugs, would you know where to go?
“Yeah, it’s obvious. Everybody knows,” was their chilling answer.
“The idea that drugs were that readily available and simple to get was really a wake-up call,” said Scattergood. “The only way to get out of that situation is to educate youth about what drugs are. And if I’m not going to do it, who is?”
Soon thereafter, Scattergood was introduced to Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a nonprofit whose mission is to empower youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions and live drug-free. Through a full-length Truth About Drugs documentary, PSAs, free online courses and a series of 14 booklets on every aspect of each commonly abused drug, youth are provided the facts that allow them to make informed decisions about their lives and futures.
Scattergood’s first step was to take the Drug-Free World materials to a nearby police station battling a local heroin epidemic. The police were so impressed they immediately arranged for Scattergood to present the materials at the local high school.
The presentation, which was a success, made Scattergood realize he needed a plan to provide the program to hundreds of schools. He began attending conferences for School Resource Officers—law enforcement assigned to work in schools—and introducing them to the Truth About Drugs, empowering them with the tools of the campaign to bring answers back to their own zones.
Scattergood next assembled a team of volunteers, who distributed the Truth About Drugs booklets at city parks, sporting events and local festivals.
For Scattergood, drug use is 100 percent preventable. The key is simply providing accurate information that allows each person to make their own informed decision.
“We’re not trying to tell people what to do,” said Scattergood. “We’re saying these drugs are out there. They’re killing people, they’re ruining a lot of lives.”
His work got results—and appreciation—throughout the Seattle area and well beyond, eventually coming to the attention of the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation in Washington, DC. For his unrelenting efforts to provide effective drug education, Scattergood was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The award honors individuals across the nation whose service positively impacts communities and inspires others around them to so act.
“I want to see a world where people can live in prosperity and freedom, and you can’t do that when you’re addicted to drugs,” Scattergood said. “If I can make a difference in just one kid—where they chose a path that doesn’t lead to a life destroyed by drugs—then that’s worth everything.”
