Photo Gallery | Essential Materials For D.A.R.E. Program To Be Handed-Out On August 28
On Tuesday, August 28, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) officers from across the state will pick up supplies to help guide students in avoiding drugs or other high risk behaviors. The pick-up will be at the back door of the Richland County Sheriff's Department which is located at 5623 Two Notch Road.
The SC D.A.R.E. Training Center provides educational supplies such as D.A.R.E. workbooks, pins, certificates, pencils and buttons at no cost to taxpayers. The D.A.R.E. program is offered to students at no charge thanks to a partnership between D.A.R.E. America and the Mid Atlantic Recycling Bin Program (M.A.C.) – this partnership raised $28,000 to pay for these new materials.
In 2003, the D.A.R.E. program faced the risk of being terminated because of a lack of funding. Sheriff Leon Lott thought D.A.R.E. was too important and took on the program with no financial support. Sheriff Lott helped to create a D.A.R.E. training center assuming the role of Executive Administrator; making sure every D.A.R.E. instructor completes their 80 hours of required certified training. Over the past 8 years 112 officers across South Carolina have been trained to teach D.A.R.E. and 78,348 children have been taught the D.A.R.E. curriculum.
The D.A.R.E. program in South Carolina, under Sheriff Lott’s leadership, was recently recognized by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and D.A.R.E. America; naming Sheriff Lott the 2012 National D.A.R.E. Executive of the Year.
Sheriff Leon Lott believes in providing successful tools and resources to our children and has committed to improving the quality of life for all citizens. Sheriff Lott says seeing what the officers do everyday reinforces what can be done when a group is committed to helping young people succeed both inside the classroom and beyond.
For more information about D.A.R.E. please contact Deputy Arlene Sharpe at the SC D.A.R.E. Training Center at (803) 419-5318 or scdare@rcsd.net., or visit http://www.rcsd.net/dare/index.html.
