D.A.R.E. PROGRAM OFFERS SO MUCH

Hello. My name is Tarah Knorpp and I have been involved in the Richmond
D.A.R.E. program for four years. I love it. D.A.R.E. is a place to go and
have fun with your friends and meet new people. If I had to describe
D.A.R.E. in one word, that one word would be love. I have never been in an
environment that I have seized so much love in one summer.

When you hear the name Officer Rick Thalls, what do you automatically
think? The average person that has seen his overall appearance would think
he is intimidating and a big tough guy. Don't get me wrong, Rick has to be
a tough guy at work. But when he is at camp for a dance or camps during the
summer, he is just a big kid at heart. He loves going to the river to fish
or watch campers swim, or going on a hayride, or doing sports. He just
wants to show young children and people that just because drugs are at
arm's length all the time in this community doesn't mean you have to reach
for them to fit in. Rick shows us through time that if you put yourself out
there as a person wanting to make new friends or better yourself, it's at
arm's length also.

Come to D.A.R.E. and you won't regret it. We all have such a wonderful time
down there. I believe Rick Thalls needs a little more appreciation than he
receives. If it weren't for Rick, there would be no D.A.R.E. and that would
put 100-200 more kids out in the world -- susceptible to drugs and the
wrong way of life. I personally want to thank Officer Rick Thalls for
making D.A.R.E. camp happen. This camp has kept me off the streets and
drug-free. Thank you, Rick.

Tarah Knorpp, Boston