Gary Cleave
D.A.R.E. BC Development Officer
The Rotary Club of Golden donated $800 to help Golden RCMP teach the internationally recognized Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program to 80 local Grade 5 school children.
Staff Sergeant Anthony Choy, the Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of the RCMP Drug and Organized Crime Awareness Service which oversees the Golden D.A.R.E. program, said that over 250 police officers teach D.A.R.E. to thousands of school children in over 90 communities throughout British Columbia.
“The D.A.R.E. program equips our children with the critical thinking and life skills necessary to choose a drug-free life,” he said.
“While police officers teach the program, the cost of the student learning materials is covered by community donations so the program can be offered free to all students. The learning materials cost approximately $10 per student.”
S/Sgt. Choy said D.A.R.E. BC is their main partner on the D.A.R.E. program.
D.A.R.E. BC is a registered charitable organization responsible for raising funds from within each community to cover the cost of the student learning materials.
“We are very grateful to the Rotary Club for their generous donation which covered the cost of learning materials for 80 students who took the program during the 2011-2012 school year,” he said.
The founder of D.A.R.E. BC, retired RCMP Staff Sergeant Chuck Doucette said next year’s DARE program starts in September and we will need to raise another $800 in Golden to cover the cost of learning materials for the 80 students who are expected to take the D.A.R.E. program.
We are appealing to the citizens of Golden to help provide the financial support needed to empower Golden’s school children in choosing a drug-free healthy lifestyle.
Donations to the project can still be made on line by visiting the D.A.R.E.BC website at www. darebc.com.
