Students take a stand against substance abuse

Update 8:45pm

CHAMPAIGN -- It may be home of the Maroons but tonight was all about purple.  Students at Central High School are taking part in Project Purple.  It is a movement happening across the nation from today until Monday.  Students are wearing the color to show their stance against substance abuse.  At tonight's basketball game, the players wore purple warms up and shoe laces, cheerleaders wore purple bows.  The fans even pitched in.

    The donate to Central's Project Purple, send money directly to their athletics department.  To learn more, click here. 

Original 5:54pm

CHAMPAIGN -- Central High School students are standing up against substance abuse and they're not taking that stand alone. It's a stance that people are taking across the nation.

Everyone involved who is against substance abuse is wearing purple, including the Central Basketball team during their big game Friday night.

We caught up with students heading up the project at Central. They're branching off of a national organization called the Herren Project.

It's something former NBA player Chris Herren started hoping to fight the epidemic of substance abuse.

The students we talked to are excited to be a part of the project but also have personal reasons why they are joining this particular stance.

"It impacted me because one of my friends she is in jail for possession, she went into the hospital 3 times for prescription pills she got a hold of and I stood up and am like you need to quit," says Sophomore Harlee Cozad.

If you want to donate to Central's Purple Project send it directly to Champaign Central Athletics. They'll be taking part in the project until Monday.

These students and many more will be at Central's basketball game Friday night. They're playing Normal Community tonight at 6:30.