INSPIRED BY DARE, TEEN WORKS TO ENTERTAIN, EDUCATE

While many teenagers remember the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program
as something they did in elementary school, for Robyn Elder the DARE
lessons carried through her high school years.

The 18-year-old Hyde Park resident started the DARE Youth Committee in
February 2001 while attending Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School. It was
an alternative to just hanging out.

"The main idea of the group is to keep kids busy and keep them out of
trouble," she said.

She pointed out there aren't many activities for teenagers in Hyde Park and
they might start experimenting with alcohol and drugs. The idea to start
the committee came to Elder when she started helping her stepfather, Hyde
Park Police Department DARE Officer Robert Benson, with his lessons at
Haviland Middle School.

"It wasn't as big of a deal when I was a kid, but as I got involved with my
stepdad's work, I started being more interested," she said. "I was reading
the essays the kids wrote, attending graduations. It was more hands-on and
then I got the realization of what it was all about."

Slew of activities

The DARE Youth Committee has more than 20 members, with kids ranging from
seventh to 10th grade. The committee organizes events such as the Halloween
Hayride at Hackett Hill Park.

Another event was the spring "lock in," where teenagers spend a night
listening to the story of a recovering alcoholic, followed by activities
like dancing and games. Elder said she hopes to have another one in April
or May.

Throughout the year, the group helps the Haviland Middle School DARE
program and the Hyde Park Recreation Department. The committee also donated
$200 to the Haviland Parent Teacher Association and $250 to the DARE program.

Diane Cullen, Hyde Park recreation leader, highly praises their work. "It's
a terrific group. They're a terrific group of kids that work very hard and
give back to the community," said Cullen, whose son, John, 13, is a member.

What impressed Cullen the most was the dedication the kids showed,
especially during the recreation department's annual Easter Egg Hunt, when
they were stuffing hundreds of eggs with candy and helping the younger
children find treats.

"Middle school and high school are harder ages, especially middle school.
They aren't old enough to drive and you want to steer them in the right
direction, coming from a parent's point of view," she said. "They all seem
to be good kids and very active."

A great example

Officer Benson said he was thankful for their help. Elder and the rest of
the committee members also act as role models for the sixth-graders at
Haviland Middle School.

"It's always helpful to have extra hands involved and it's different when
you have kids there ... when you have other kids telling you (not to use
drugs), it gives more credence to what they're saying," he said.

While Elder now attends Dutchess Community College, she still manages to
find time for the committee, juggling classes and three part-time jobs.

She said she's enjoyed being with the group and is learning how to write
grants.

Future activities Elder will suggest to the committee include organizing a
spaghetti dinner for senior citizens, planting flowers by town hall and the
police building, and adopting a highway.

Eventually, Elder wants to be a cruise ship director, possibly for Disney,
and start her own travel agency, she said.

But for now, Elder wants to encourage other students to join the committee.
Membership is open to anyone who graduated from the DARE program and they
meet twice a month, she said.

NEIGHBOR

ROBYN ELDER

Age: 18.

Home: Village of Hyde Park.

Education: Attends Dutchess Community College, 2003 Franklin Delano
Roosevelt High School graduate.

Hobbies: DARE Youth Committee, movies, shopping, exercising.

- -- For information on the DARE Youth Committee, call 845-229-0331.