The Craven County Sheriff’s Office is currently deploying the D.A.R.E. program in 14 of Craven County’s elementary schools during the 2022-23 school year. The partnership between the Craven County ABC Board, Craven County Partners In Education, and Craven County Sheriff’s office has had great success in continuing to bridge the gap between law enforcement and our school community with this program. The goal for the 2023-24 school year is to present D.A.R.E. in all of Craven County’s elementary and middle 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, which supports training for D.A.R.E. Officers across the state.
Each school that raises $250 will slime its School Resource Officer, $500 slimes its D.A.R.E. officer, and $750 slimes the school principal or staff member. Schools raising the most funds will also get to Slime Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes and Superintendent Dr. Wendy Miller! The second-place winner will slime Chief Deputy Cummings, and the third-place winner will slime Major McFayden.
The participating schools are Arthur W. Edwards Elementary, A.H. Bangert Elementary, Ben D. Quinn Elementary, Bridgeton Elementary, Brinson Memorial Elementary, Creekside Elementary, Graham A. Barden Elementary, Havelock Elementary, J.T. Barber Elementary, James W. Smith Elementary, Oaks Road Academy, Roger Bell New Tech Academy, Trent Park Elementary, and W.J. Gurganus Elementary.
Funds will be collected from Feb.ruary 27 – March 17. 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, 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 from March 27 – April 6.
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 program is the most comprehensive drug prevention curriculum 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