NEWS RELEASE:
GALION – The Galion City School District, in partnership with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, is excited to announce the return of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program for the 2017-2018 school year at the Galion Middle School.
The curriculum will be taught to current sixth grade students for 10 weeks. The last time the D.A.R.E program was in the district was 2004-2005.
“The decision to restart the D.A.R.E. program was made because GMS was the only school in Crawford County that did not have the D.A.R.E. program,” said Crawford County Sheriff’s Deputy and D.A.R.E. instructor Chris Martin. “I felt it was important that every student in Crawford County have the opportunity to experience D.A.R.E.”
When Holy Trinity stopped offering school, the Sheriff’s Office started looking for opportunities to expand the D.A.R.E. program in the county. The idea of offering this program to all the schools has always been Deputy Martin’s goal.
“I feel that the D.A.R.E. curriculum is important starting with kindergarten through the sixth grade,” said Crawford County Sheriff Scott Kent. “Due to Deputy Martin being in nine different schools now, we knew that time would not allow us to bring the D.A.R.E. program to all ages at Galion right now.”
Deputy Martin currently teaches the D.A.R.E. curriculum at Buckeye Central, Colonel Crawford, Crestline, Bucyrus, Wynford, St. Bernard’s (New Washington), Crestline St. Joseph, Sacred Heart and Galion Middle School. Countywide, Deputy Martin will teach up to ten classes daily, reaching more than 2500 students a year.
“We want to reach as many children in Crawford County and provide the opportunity to participate in a program that makes them feel good about making positive choices, even though it might not be the popular choice,” said Deputy Martin. “By having the D.A.R.E. program in every possible school, we feel that we are providing positive support for every child we reach in the program.”
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office has been providing D.A.R.E. to children in Crawford County for 28 years. Former Sheriff Ronny Shawber and Deputy Tim Ley started D.A.R.E. at the Sheriff’s Office in 1989, and when Deputy Ley retired, Deputy Martin volunteered to step in and take the program over.
“I’m excited to have the D.A.R.E. program back in our school district,” said Galion Superintendent Jim Grubbs. “I want to thank Sheriff Kent and Deputy Martin for their dedication to helping our children learn how to make good decisions in the face of challenging situations.”
The D.A.R.E. program in Crawford County is funded through a grant from the Ohio Attorney General, which pays for half of Deputy Martin’s salary. However, public donations allow Deputy Martin to purchase classroom materials and t-shirts for the children.
“At our graduations, all students wear their t-shirts and it gives them a sense of unity,” said Sheriff Kent. “When I talk to students, I compare their shirts to the uniforms we wear at the Sheriff’s Office and explain that we are all the same and together, and take care of one another.”
All monetary donations to the D.A.R.E. program are tax-deductible through Bucyrus-Crawford DARE Inc., which is a 501(c)3 organization. Anyone wishing to make a donation to the D.A.R.E. fund, may do so by mailing their donation to: Bucyrus-Crawford DARE Inc., c/o Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, 3613 Stetzer Rd., Bucyrus, OH 44820.