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SEDALIA DARE PROGRAM RECEIVES $9,563 FROM CAR SHOW
April 17th, 2019
Race Car Bob Hiller presented a $9,563.64 check to the Sedalia Police DARE program Monday night near the top of the City Council meeting at the Municipal Building, 2nd and Osage.
The check represented the proceeds from the 29th annual DARE Car Show, held April 6 outside the Municipal Building. Hiller emphasized that the Sedalia DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program is the richest in Missouri, and does not request City money to fund the program, which costs $6,500 annually. He added that financially, the Sedalia DARE program is secure for the next seven years.
An emotional Hiller, who has suffered three strokes in the past 18 months, thanked the Council and the community for their ongoing support of the program. He then presented a cashier's check to Mayor John Kehde. DARE Officer Brad Beard and Sedalia Police Chief Matt Wirt, as well as Hiller's partner Maybelle Koeller, attended Monday night's City Council meeting.
Hiller has raced and exhibited his DARE car for the past 13 years. And each time he makes a public appearance, "We represent the Sedalia PD when we do that," he said. "We are the only DARE program that actually offers a scholarship."
Two scholarships were presented to high school seniors on the day of the car show. Both recipients were present and posed for photos. Beard explained that the necessary paperwork was done in record time this year so the presentation could take place at the show.
Story Credit to KSIS Radio
Perry County School District 32 fifth graders proudly hold their D.A.R.E. certificates and stand with their D.A.R.E. officer, Cpl. Jeri Cain, at the program’s graduation ceremony.
After more than 35 years of operation, the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program is still alive and well. D.A.R.E. is a nation-wide program that involves police officers coming into schools and teaching students about the dangers of drugs, alcohol, and violence. It started small but spread quickly.
“D.A.R.E. was started in 1983 in Los Angeles, California,” said Cpl. Jeri Cain, the Perryville D.A.R.E. officer. “It started as a program in the inner city by officers and teachers because they were having all kinds of gang and drug activity, and police relations weren’t the greatest, so they were trying to come up with something to improve that, so they came up with the D.A.R.E. program. They tested it there for four years, and in 1987, it rolled out nation wide.”
As with any educational program, D.A.R.E. has had to adapt quite bit over the years to remain effective in getting its message across effectively. It still teaches the basics about the dangers of tobacco and alcohol, but more categories have been added while some are being taken away.
Due to controversies and different laws in different states, Missouri is one of, if not the last state to still include the portion in the curriculum concerning the health risks of marijuana.
The program has also expanded to include discussions about new products that were not on the market when D.A.R.E. started, such as e-cigarettes.
Although D.A.R.E. has had to change to keep up with the times, its basic purpose remains the same.
“The mission of D.A.R.E. is to reduce the amount of [drug addicts] and empower kids to learn,” Cain said. “We’ve evolved into our D.A.R.E. decision-making model. We teach kids how to think, how to make decisions, and we just reinforce what they’re already learning in other classes, but it’s just another tool in their toolkit that they can use. … The official statement for D.A.R.E. is teaching students good decision-making skills that help them lead safe, healthy lives.”
Another skill that D.A.R.E. is adding a bit more focus on now is bullying. D.A.R.E. officers are encouraging bullying victims and bystanders to speak up rather than letting the bullying continue. They are not teaching the kids to physically stand up to the bully but are instead telling them to go to an adult that they trust to seek help for themselves or someone else. This not only allows children to combat bullying but also helps them in learning who they can trust.
Despite all the changes that Cain has seen come for the D.A.R.E. program over the years, she still feels that the program is effective in what it teaches.
“D.A.R.E. is so much more than what we teach these kids. It is about the relationships that these kids make with their D.A.R.E. officers. … They know that I’m here for them, and I’m going to continue to be there for them, no matter how old they are. … I have been involved with the D.A.R.E. program since the very day I walked into this department, … and I started my 23rd year in October. I’ve substitute taught for D.A.R.E. since 2000, so for 18 years, and got recertified four years ago. This is my fourth year of teaching again, when I rotated back in as the public education officer for the department.”
Students that Cain had in the past that are now in their thirties still speak when they see her and contact her with questions or for advice because they had the opportunity to build that trusting relationship with her through the D.A.R.E. program. Children are sometimes hesitant to talk to or afraid of police officers, but D.A.R.E. shows them a different perspective.
“They learn that their D.A.R.E. officer is a police officer,” Cain said. “I’m a real person. I have a family. I have kids. … They learn that it’s not just a uniform. … The D.A.R.E. program just opens up these kids’ eyes that police officers are real people. … We make a positive influence with them. … A lot of these kids, the only time they see us is when we’re kicking in doors or making traffic stops, and this gives us a positive experience with them.”
Cain has worked with students for many years through D.A.R.E. and hopes to see the program flourish for a long time to come.
From Republic Monitor
Apr 13, 2018
Maryville Public Safety Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Officer Ian Myers, left, and Sgt. Rick Smail, right, who administers the D.A.R.E. program in rural schools for the Nodaway County Sheriff’s Office, are pictured beside some of the donated merchandise offered for sale during Saturday’s 26th annual D.A.R.E. auction in the St. Gregory’s School gymnasium.
Shown at center is the anti-drug program’s mascot, Daren the D.A.R.E. Lion.
This was the second year the auction, which was expected to raise about $13,000, has benefitted both the county and municipal D.A.R.E. programs, which serve a total of nearly 2,000 elementary and middle school students in Maryville, Nodaway County and the Stanberry R-II School District in Gentry County.
The pulled pork dinner prepared by Mike Casteel & Phil Smail Barbecue also included side dishes donated by the local KFC restaurant and desserts and beverages donated by the Maryville Hy-Vee supermarket.
In addition to a silent auction running throughout the event, a live auction was held with auctioneering services donated by the Younger Auction Co.
From The Maryville Forum