BUG TEACHES 'NO'

The RCMP's DARE program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) will increase
awareness in the city with the help of a bug, the non-insect kind.

Const. Kate Bamber and several Grade 5 St. Ann's Academy students were on
hand Monday to view a new Beetle donated by Royal Volkswagen to help the
RCMP educate children about how to say no to drugs.

The Beetle will be covered with decals and regular police car features,
such as sirens, will be included. The car will be seen at community events
and schools throughout the summer.

"It's like a magnet; the kids and parents love it," says Bamber. "Seeing
the Beetle reinforces and reminds the kids what they learned (during the
DARE program)."

She adds the car attracts people on the street, who wouldn't normally get a
chance to learn about DARE.

St. Ann's student Ryan Pollard says the program, which was started in 1983
in Los Angeles, helps youths deal with the peer pressure they face."It
helps us resist drugs and violence and how to say, 'no.'"

This is the second Beetle donated by Royal Volkswagen to Kamloops' RCMP
detachment. Owner Danny Miller says he knows the car will raise awareness
for what he sees as a worthy cause.

"It's a community gesture and the car is a head-turner. It bridges the gap
(between young and old); everybody has a Beetle story."