PARENT SAYS DARE IS WORTHWHILE

GREENLEAF - I'd like to thank DARE Officer Kevin Vanden Heuvel for a
job well done. Our oldest son is a new DARE graduate. I observed a
group of classmates working together addressing hard issues - drugs,
alcohol, peer pressure, violence. Officer Vanden Heuvel combined fun
activities with exercises to make the participants think about future
challenges. The program not only addresses the responsibility of the
participants but also the support system the children need from the
family as a whole. DARE inspired us to open the lines of communication
regarding these topics.

As my son Adam wrote in his DARE speech: "If I ever think about using
drugs when I get older, I will think back to Officer Van's DARE class
and ask myself, 'Did I ever want to use drugs when I was little?' If
my 'younger self' ever saw that I used drugs, my 'younger self' would
be very ashamed of my 'older self.' That's why it is very important to
keep remembering the DARE facts and stay drug and violence free as I
grow older."

As a parent, I know there are no guarantees, but programs like DARE
help us prepare for future challenges.

Diane Roundy, mother of a DARE graduate