Community Parent Adds QB, Boxing Champ to its Roster

The Community Parent has added a and a boxing champion to its team in recent weeks to help in the fight against drugs.

Eric Hipple, who played for the Lions from 1980 to 1989, spoke at the drug prevention group's meeting on Wednesday. Cornelius "K9" Bundrage, current IBF Junior Middleweight Champion of the world and former member of the ESPN reality show, The Contender, will also speak at the upcoming presentation of .

"It demonstrates people are noticing the issue and pulling their heads out of the sand," Community Parent member Tony Brown said.

Hipple lost his son to suicide in 2000. Hipple has since spoken to students and groups about suicide and depression and became the Depression Center Outreach Coordinator at the University of Michigan.

On Wednesday, he discussed the importance of mental health.

"Every year you'd come into camp and coaches would expect you to be in top physical shape," Hipple said. "Never once did anyone say come in to camp with great mental health."

The former Lions quarterback then discussed the signs of the failing mental health signs his son showed, and spoke of his own demons. This included a drunken driving conviction that landed him in jail, a time he jumped out of car driving down I-75, and his own deep depression.

"How can we make good decisions if we hate ourselves?" Hipple said.

He then described how good mental health can lead to better decisions and talked about the importance of getting help early when things don't feel right.

"Eric has a keen interest in kids. Our philosophies line up and he is willing to help us anyway he can," Brown said. "His life experiences are sad, but true. Everything comes down to great mental health.

The will be performed at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 at . It is open to the public.

Community Parent continued its contest that will provide a Friday night dance and a weekend full of gaming with a mobile gaming trailer for the school that has the most students attend the Community Parent events from January through April. A bus from Bendle schools brought many students to the meeting.

"We have kids coming in from all over the place," Brown said. "It's pretty cool to see. They want to help solve the problem."

You can read more about Community Parent and drugs in the community on Fenton Patch.