CHILDREN GET ANTI-DRUG TALK DURING RACES AT CITY K-MART

NEW HAVEN - There were a few small crashes and a lot of sudden stops on
Saturday in the Super K-Mart parking lot on Foxon Boulevard.

But State Trooper Ralph Morales didn't investigate a single one of them. He
didn't have to: The vehicular activity was all in good fun, part of the
first day of racing at K-Mart's Kids Race Against Drugs.

About 300 youngsters ages 7 through 12 made their way through a specially
padded, makeshift race course on modified lawn tractors, which come with a
second seat so volunteer coaches can help the youngsters steer and step on
the brakes if necessary. Some of the youthful competitors waited up to 90
minutes to drive the tractors, which go no faster than 5 miles per hour.

Children ages 7 through 12 compete for scholarship money and other prizes,
with winners from every age group at each location advancing toward
regional and national races. The Foxon Boulevard store was one of six
statewide locations for the race, which has been touring around the country
since late March.

So rather than being on hand to direct traffic, Morales was in attendance
to discuss the evils of drug abuse with the participants and their parents.
The trooper is coordinator for the state's Drug Abuse Resistance Education
(DARE) program.

"They hear this message in schools, but it's because they're a captive
audience there," Morales said. "At an event like this, they're here because
they want to be and are more receptive to the message."

Morales also had a message for parents: If you don't listen to your
children, someone else will and you may not be pleased with the result.

"I had one parent here today who didn't want to show their child the
stuff," he said gesturing to a display case filled with various types of
drugs and examples of drug paraphernalia. "But they're going to find out
anyway and they may get wrong information."

Michigan-based Kmart donates $5 to local anti-drug charities for each child
that races. Based on the number of racers Saturday, the Foxon Boulevard
Super Kmart expects to split $3,000 between Fighting Back and Youth Fair
Chance, two New Haven anti-drug groups, said Lee Frutkin, the store's
director.

In addition, Frutkin said the store gave $1,500 to the state's DARE
program, which serves 160 towns.

Nine-year-old New Haven resident Jaleisa Brannic finished the race and
broke into a radiant smile. The youngster bounded from the tractor and gave
a big hug to her mother, Alesia Brannic, a checkout supervisor at the store
who was one of the many employees who volunteered at the event.

Jaleisa just giggled when asked if she had ever driven before.

"Are you kidding?" her mother chuckled. "I'm just learning how to drive
myself."