HARLEY DEALERSHIP DONATES TO DARE

STRATFORD - Several local police officers were seen Tuesday in the showroom
of Bridgeport Harley Davidson on Lordship Avenue, leaving some to wonder
whether Stratford's finest will soon patrol on hogs.

But the suspicions were wrong.

The officers were there to accept the business' third annual donation to the
department's Drug Awareness and Resistance Education program for local
school kids.

Domenic Maturo, general manager of the dealership, presented the gift of
$2,189 to police Capt. Robert Voccola, Patrolman Gerald Oleynik, and Lt.
Gene Vedock, as they stood between a floor full of gleaming Harleys and
racks of black leather biker gear.

Maturo said a $179 donation was raised from a banner raffle held at a bike
show last weekend at the dealership, and the bulk of the DARE money came
from entry fees for a motorcycle contest.

"People who wanted to show their bikes and win a trophy had to pay a $15
entry fee, and all the money went to DARE," Maturo said.

DARE instructor Oleynik, who has been with the program for seven years, said
donations make a big difference and the bikers have been generous.

"They've been very supportive over the years," Oleynik said of the Harley
riders.

Oleynic said the donation will be used to buy extra materials for the 17-
week DARE programs, which focus mostly on fifth-graders in local schools,
empowering them to avoid use of dangerous drugs.

"It will be used to purchase materials we use during the DARE program, such
as books and T-shirts for the kids," Oleynik said.

In the semester-long programs, students participate in awareness education
and are awarded for their efforts with a graduation ceremony, Voccola said.

"We're not policing the hallways, we're just talking with the kids," Voccola
said.

Oleynik said the officers can talk to the students from experience.

"We've been out in the streets and have seen the tragedy that drugs and
violence can cause," he said.

Oleynic quipped that a the program could use a Harley.

"We're trying to get them to donate one as a DARE bike," he said.

Checked-by: Don Beck