I D.A.R.E. You

It's been quite the week that ended with several emotionally enriching moments.

The biggest one happened Friday when I fulfilled a promise I made before Christmas. The Public Information Officer for the Frankfort Kentucky State Police Post called and asked if I would speak at the DARE graduation at Northern Elementary in Georgetown. It was supposed to happen in December, but school was canceled because of snow. They rescheduled for January, and it was canceled because of snow. They finally got a date in May and still asked to me be there.

After rearranging my schedule several times I honestly wasn't looking forward to it, but a commitment is a commitment, so I agreed to work the night shift and headed to the school at 10 a.m. Friday.

I wasn't really sure what to expect or if the kids would really care what I had to say. I think they did. Unfortunately, they had the kids standing the entire time, so I think maybe they just wanted to sit down, but maybe at least my point got across to at least a few.

Day in and day out, I see a lot of horrible things happen to people because of drugs. I didn't want to scare the kids too many examples, but I hope the few I did got the point across. Mainly, I never want to have to report on those kids or their families falling victim to some crime or some accident that could have been avoided.

I was also touched by the care and the interest Trooper Elisha Morris, who was the DARE officer, took with the kids. I don't know Trooper Morris and don't really know much about the way he taught the kids, but one moment really touched me.

Every child got a certificate of achievement at the ceremony. Trooper Morris not only went out of his way to shake every child's hand, but he paused, bent down to their eye level, looked them in the eye and spoke to them. It was a sign of respect and leadership I could tell many of the kids were not used to. I have to believe it's moments like that that could really impact a 5th grader.

He too has seen a lot of troubling things, many of which are directly or indirectly related to drugs. He knows how easy it could be for those kids to fall down a path they should not be on. Maybe a few incidents of clear respect from a complete stranger could make them think twice.

After the program, some of the kids who are involved in the school's technology program, which is a type of news extra-curricular activity, took time to come over and talk with me about what they do.

Overall, it's just nice to take an hour of my time to help out. Even if they didn't get a lot out of it, I sure did.