KIDS DRIVE HOME POINT IN RACE AGAINST DRUGS

He hit a few obstacles along the way, and his time wasn't that great, but
8-year-old Ben Peele emerged from his battery-powered race car feeling like
a champ.

"Life is like a series of races. Sometimes you win; sometimes you lose,"
said the second-grader at River Springs Elementary School. "I guess drugs
are like a giant hurdle in life. If you say no to doing them, you can
easily get over that hurdle."

Ben's philosophy is exactly what Kmart hopes to instill in the more than
750 children who participated in the store's "Kids Race Against Drugs"
campaign Saturday and Sunday.

The national program educates children ages 7 through 12 about the dangers
of drug and alcohol abuse. The 90-city tour ends in November.

Races were at Kmart stores in Orangeburg, Camden, Sumter and West Columbia.

The fastest children from each region are entered in drawings to win an
expense-paid trip to Orlando, Fla., to compete for $10,000 in scholarships.

For every child who crossed the finish line in the state, Kmart will donate
$5 to the South Carolina chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers.

"This will help fund our programs to help kids make the right choice," said
Harold Watson, state executive director for MADD.

Racers drove their miniature cars through tunnels, over bridges and around
turns. Many of the participants Sunday knocked down a few obstacles on
their way to the finish line.

Although participants were given a free T-shirt, hat and materials about
drug abuse, many seemed to have made up their minds about drugs.

"Yuck" was 10-year-old Scott Hammond's reaction when asked about drugs. The
fourth-grader at Saluda River Academy for the Arts said his mother has
always told him to tell an adult if someone offers him an illegal substance.

"Nobody ever asks me to do drugs because they know what my answer will be,"
said Erica Miller, 12, a sixth-grader at Cyril B. Busbee Middle School.

Murphy and Donna Peele know the pressure Ben and his sister, Amy, face to
do drugs. They hope what they have instilled in their children will help
keep them focused on saying no to drugs.

"All you can do is encourage them to make good, sound choices," Murphy
Peele said.