Editor, Smithfield Times

Wake up Isle of Wight County! No D.A.R.E. (Drug Assistance Resistance Education) program in our County. With Heroin and many other drugs on the up rise in our county and community it is vital that we have the D.A.R.E. program in our schools. This program will educate our children about the harsh reality of drugs and consequences of making bad choices.

In our community we must use all resources that our county has to protect our children. We are failing when we do not use this program that we have available to us. By bringing the D.A.R.E. program back we are providing this for all our children. We need to do all we can to reach this goal. Not only does the D.A.R.E program teach our children how to make the right choices when it comes to drugs. It also allows our children to have a mentor that they can count on to help guide them in the right direction in life.

This is a huge concern for me and I feel it should also be a major concern for every parent who has a child in our community. As we all know, drugs and crime are on the rise, and to make sure that we keep our community safe we need this program in effect with more deputies on the road and present in our community. We need to stop unnecessary spending and get our priorities straight to do what is right to protect our youth as well as our county. May God bless Isle of Wight County and May God Bless the USA.

Russell Stephenson
Windsor