CRUISER DARES TO BE DIFFERENT.

The D.A.R.E. program is more visible in the Fraser Valley, thanks to the
donation of a 2001 PT Cruiser by an Abbotsford car dealership.

D.A.R.E., which stands for drug abuse resistance education, teaches Grade 5
students the importance of being drug and alcohol free.

"Our time and effort is much better spent preventing substance abuse," said
D.A.R.E. training coordinator Corp. Sharon Cooke, than helping people after
they have developed an addiction.

The donation of the car by Abbotsford Chrysler came into being after Cooke
attended a recent D.A.R.E. officer's conference in Los Angeles. While
there, she noted many other D.A.R.E. chapters had some pretty neat cars.

After the trip, she showed pictures of the vehicles to management at
Abbotsford Chrysler, who thought providing a car for D.A.R.E. would be a
great way to help out the program locally, said sales manager Brad Tompson.
In D.A.R.E., uniformed police officers visit Grade 5 classrooms 17 times
during the school year, teaching a comprehensive curriculum discussing
substance abuse, violence, peer pressure and stress.

Children role play eight different ways to say no, said Cooke, and also
have the opportunity to ask anonymous questions about drug and violence issues.

The program also creates dialogue between parents and children about drugs.
D.A.R.E. is offered in more than 100 communities around the province,
including Mission, where several officers help educate children about drugs.