This is the speech Brett, 12, read to his classmates at a Red Ribbon presentation last week (October 2006).

Hi my name is Brett Pelick. I am a 6th grade student at Forest City Regional. I have a great family -- my dad Dave, mom Kathy, sister Stephanie who is 23 and resides and works in Olyphant, a brother Tom who is 20 and is a junior at Shippensburg University, my sister Alissa who is in kindergarten here at Forest Citym and my Brother Josh who is now in heaven. In memory of him, I am here to speak to all of you for Red Ribbon Week.

My brother Joshua David Pelick was born on October 28, 1985 in Carbondale. His parents are David and Lynn, and he was educated in the St. Rose school for his elementary years and then attended Valley View High School.

Josh enjoyed many things during his life, including fishing, hunting, quading, skiing. Josh also enjoyed being a jokester with all the people he knew.

I enjoyed many days fishing with my brothers Josh and Tom.

On December 13, 2003 at 9:44 p.m, my family received a phone call from my sister Steph that something was wrong with Josh and he was being taken to the Mid Valley Hospital. Steph had found Josh unable to breath and passed out in his bed. At this point we had no idea what was going on.

Dad rushed from our house to the hospital only to get to the hospital and find out that Josh has passed away due to a prescription drug overdose. The drug that took Josh's life was Fenalyn-- a patch that is used to help other people with pain due to cancer or serious illnesses. Josh was sold this drug by a person who had these drugs in his hands and was just trying to make money to support his own drug habit. As we can speculate at this time, the person that sold my brother Josh this drug, told him how to use this drug, in which was the wrong way and that is what took my brother life. He was lead wrong by this drug dealer and this does not surprise any of us, as drug dealers will lead any person in the wrong direction. Please save yourself and your family and do not use or consider any kind of drugs.

My life and my family will never be the same after Josh's death. Nobody will ever know what its like to go to your brother's high school graduation to only see a empty seat where Josh should have sat. I live my life everyday thinking about what it would be like if Josh was here. Would he be in college? Would he have a great girlfriend? A good job? Just to have him here would be the answer to all these questions, but due to drugs I will never know what my brother Josh would have become. I just hope that nobody here has to think about terrible things like this due to a family member death due to dangerous drugs.

I ask all of you to please stay away from drugs so that you or none of your family members have to deal what myself and my family members have had to deal with the loss of Josh. But we have to move on.

On behalf of myself and the memory of Josh, please think twice and say no to drugs.
At this time I would like to say a special thanks to Mrs. Longo, all my teachers, staff, family and friends who have supported me in the past 2 1/2 years -- you have all helped me so much.

Thanks Again.