RETRO BILL VISITS MARCO WITH THE D.A.R.E. PROGRAM

Retro Bill hit Marco Island with a blast from the past: shoe-polish black
hair slicked into a pompadour that not even the gulf breezes could
dislodge, a black shirt with orange and red flames creeping up from the
bottom, and sneakers to match.

What's it all about? If you tell Retro Bill he looks just like Elvis, you
know he has heard it a few times by the speed with which he snaps back,
"But I don't use drugs or alcohol." Retro Bill (Bill Russ) has a message
and he is obviously prepared to do almost anything to get it across. Now
that he has your attention, this self-styled dynamo says he wants to make a
positive difference in the world, to entertain and inform, and he seems
dedicated enough to do it.

Arriving with the officers from all over Florida at this week's D.A.R.E
(Drug Abuse Resistance Education) conference at the Marco Island Hilton as
their keynote speaker, the shamelessly self-promoting Retro Bill admits he
loves it when people tell him he looks like someone from the past, because
then he knows he has succeeded: one of his goals is to connect his
audiences to the once-upon-a-time when life was simpler and perhaps family
and home values were stronger.

"Cool!" shouts Retro Bill, with his two thumbs up in approval. Soon he has
everyone walking around imitating him.

"You have to walk the walk and talk the talk," he commands, encouraging
parents as well as children to be honest and set good role models.

Bill is originally from Illinois where he had a background in making
videos. He now claims his address is his suitcase as he is on the road 300
days a year. As the "official D.A.R.E safety buddy" he is well known to
officers teaching the program all over the state of Florida.

"I have one goal," he said, "I made a commitment. Critics don't matter: a
connection to people is what matters - the children you connect with are
who matter."

With some of his down-home humor and analogy, Bill tells of shopping with
his grandmother.

"We were in WalMart and she was totally amazed by all the brands of
deodorant on the shelf. 'How many do you need if you stink?' she asked me.
Just one. You only need one good choice to get to a kid."

Bill puts his money where his mouth is. Last year he donated 200 of his
child safety videos to every Florida D.A.R.E officer attending their annual
seminar. This week he donated 28 more, so that every officer, and every
school and library in the community can have access to the program.

Bill, assisted by D.A.R.E. mascot Daren the Lion, presented the D.A.R.E.
Safety Tips Video starring Retro Bill to assistant superintendent of
elementary and public schools in Collier County, Dr. John Kelly and Capt.
Tom Davis of the Youth Prevention Services Division of Collier County.