This one struck a chord with me. When I was in Jr. High School (old enough to have missed the "Middle School" shift), I was in a small town in Tennessee. Exposure to D&D back then (1979-1982) gave me an outlet away from the popular activities of my peers - mainly involving drugs and alcohol. I took a ton of ridiculing from some of my "friends" back then, but I found my tribe and we thrived.

So, kudos to you for taking a mind-expanding game like D&D to a smaller NC town. Hopefully, at least one person will see there are alternatives to peer pressure and make better decisions as a result.