DARE AND JUNIOR ACADEMY BENEFIT FROM ONE-SIDED CHARITY BASKETBALL GAME

The first edition of the Police Foundations Junior Academy held a charity
basketball game yesterday morning to raise awareness about their
organization and the DARE program.

Just under 40 supporters turned out to see the Junior Academy take on a
squad consisting of Ontario Provincial Police officers and also students in
the Police Foundations Program at Northern College. The fun, laid-back game
included hook shots from behind the three-point line, no-look
behind-the-back passes, and also pies in the face.

The Junior Academy featured grade 11 and 12 students from Temagami, Cobalt,
Haileybury, New Liskeard, Kirkland Lake, Matheson, Holtyre, and Iroquois
Falls. Proceeds from the game went towards DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance
Education) program.

"The students themselves decided that they wanted to donate the money to
the DARE program," said organizer Ted Hodgins. "They felt that that was the
program which would be appropriate to their age group, to be raising funds
for, and also it's pro-policing as well."

"This game was a culmination of the week," said Hodgins, a Police
Foundation program instructor at Northern College. "The students that are
involved in the academy, the candidates, this was their way of giving back
to the community."

"They came in for the week and they were brought up to date on modern
policing techniques and what it takes to be a police officer in today's
society. They had guest lectures from faculty, met with first and
second-year students from the program Police Foundations, as well this
program is put on in conjunction with the Ontario Provincial Police with
guest lectures coming from Timmins police services as well as the RCMP,"
said Hodgins.

"It's been a great week. The students really enjoyed themselves.

As for the game itself, the score was debatable. The halftime score was
14-5 in favour of the OPP squad, but they stopped keeping score after that.
The final, as Hodgins put it, was "the OPP dominating and winning by many
points."