D.A.R.E. HELPS CHILDREN SEE POLICE DIFFERENTLY

LETTERS From time to time, I encounter someone opposed to the D.A.R.E.
program. It's just like any other thing that is on top. When you're number
one, that's who you pick on.

People have asked me, "Does D.A.R.E. work?" I say yes.

The next challenge is usually, "prove it." It is easy for me to see the
effectiveness in the program when I look straight into a 10-year-old
child's eye, and he says thank you for showing me how to resist the bad
things in the world.

From the time a child has his second D.A.R.E. lesson, he will smile and
see police officers in a different way than ever before. These are some of
the rewards I receive in instructing this program.

Recently, two new scientific medical studies have been completed. Findings
of the Meharry School of Medicine study recently published by the
prestigious Journal of the National Medical Association demonstrates that
the D.A.R.E curriculum is highly effective in prevention of smoking among
elementary school-aged children.

This week the University of Akron released results of the new D.A.R.E 7th
grade curriculum. The findings show improvements in student's
decision-making skills, drug refusal skills, and beliefs that drug use is
socially inappropriate. This research result was based on findings from an
ongoing five-year study.

A D.A.R.E Officer might say he would be happy with saving just one child.
For me, I strive to save them all. I hope you will too.

Always support the D.A.R.E. program.

LEO ROWE

Clarksville