D.A.R.E. DELIVERS MESSAGE

The primary message Cst. Darryl Peppler is delivering to the students
at Bench Elementary School is an important one: don't do drugs. The
secondary message may be just as important to young citizens: cops are
people too.

"Look at these kids," said Peppler, as they buzzed about having just
had their D.A.R.E. class photo taken on the occasion of a donation to
the "resist drugs and violence" program by the Merritt Stockcar
Association. "They're waiting for me now so they can go play in the
police car,. It's more than just the D.A.R.E. message, it's the fact
they are interacting one-on-one with a police officer. They're seeing
us in a different light."

Peppler hopes the course also teaches students not to be intimidated
by the police.

Certainly the youngster that helped the stockcar association donation
to the program grow by 54 cents wasn't intimidated. "That's for the
police," association spokesperson Lonni Boszko said were the
four-year-old girl's words as she contributed to the D.A.R.E. fund.
With 88 dollars from gate receipts and further donations from a cash
jar in the pits, she helped the donation swell to over $110.

The money will go to buy D.A.R.E. shirts for Cst. Peppler's
enthusiastic Bench class.

The local program is 100 per cent community supported, said Peppler,
with funds coming from the likes of the Legion, Sunrise Rotary and
Overwaitea. These funds help with the purchase of D.A.R.E. classroom
supplies as well as sending officers for D.A.R.E. training. While the
program is sponsored by the RCMP, funds must be raised within
community to cover costs.

The cause is an important one to Boszko and the stockcar association,
who resurrected the RCMP Challenge stockcar race this past summer. The
D.A.R.E. bug was a part of the festivities, acting as pace car for the
event. "When we reinstated the RCMP race I wanted to support the
D.A.R.E. program," Boszko said.