The Craven County Sheriff’s Office presented the D.A.R.E. program in 10 of Craven County’s elementary schools during the 2021-2022 school year. This partnership has had great success with continuing to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community with this program. The goal for the 2022-2023 school year is to present D.A.R.E. in all Craven County’s elementary schools.
The D.A.R.E. to Slime Fundraiser will help raise money for the continued training of D.A.R.E. Officers, both new and current. It will also assist with purchasing teaching materials and graduation supplies. Also, 25% of the money will be donated to the North Carolina D.A.R.E. Officers Association, who supports training for D.A.R.E. Officers across the state.
For the participating schools, there will be three levels of funds raised for the potential to slime a School Resource Officer ($500), a D.A.R.E. Officer ($1000), and a School Administrator ($2000). The top three schools will also get to Slime Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes (1st), Chief Deputy Cummings (2nd), and Major McFadyen (3rd).
The participating schools are Arthur W. Edwards Elementary, Ben D. Quinn Elementary, Brinson Memorial Elementary, Graham A. Barden Elementary, J.T. Barber Elementary, Oaks Road Academy, Roger Bell New Tech Academy, Trent Park Elementary, and W.J. Gurganus Elementary.
Funds will be collected from May 9th to May 27th. If you would like to donate to the D.A.R.E. to Slime Fundraiser, you can donate at the participating schools, donate online through the PIE website (CravenPartners.com), or send a check to Darlene Brown, Partners In Education, 3600 Trent Rd. New Bern, NC 28562. Checks should be made out to PIE with D.A.R.E. on the memo line.
Slime Celebrations will be held at each participating school the week of June 6th – 9th.
Launched in 1983, D.A.R.E. is a comprehensive K-12 prevention education program taught in thousands of schools in America, as well as many other countries. Taught by highly trained law enforcement officers, D.A.R.E. Education Programs deliver science/evidence-based curricula that teach students good decision-making skills that will help them lead safe and healthy lives and cope with high-risk circumstances including drugs, alcohol, violence, bullying, and internet safety. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program is the most comprehensive drug prevention curricula in the world taught in thousands of schools throughout America’s 50 states and its territories, as well as in 50+ other countries reaching more than 1.5 million students annually. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “The D.A.R.E. program…offers students the opportunity to gain a trustworthy adult friend, develop a positive attitude toward law enforcement personnel, and acquire greater respect for the law.”
To learn more about PIE grants and programs and how to be a PIE Partner, contact Darlene Brown, Executive Director, Craven County Partners In Education, at 514-6321 or visit CravenPartners.com.
By Darlene Brown, Craven Partners In Education