Pubdate: Mon, 31 Jul 2006
Source: Times Herald, The (MI)
Copyright: 2006 The Times Herald
Contact: http://www.thetimesherald.com/customerservice/contactus.html
Website: http://www.thetimesherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2570
Author: Craig Davison, Times Herald
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

CLASSIC CAR SHOW AIMS TO HELP DARE FINANCIALLY

Organizers See Event As Way To Help Fight Drugs

Bob Greene always believed August in Port Huron was a  little slow after a 
July full of classic cars and  sailboats.

So he's hoping the Aug. 12 classic car show he's  organizing will become an 
annual event.

"Our community needs something in August," said Greene,  44, of Clyde 
Township. "Everything's over after the  last cruise night."

Greene also hopes the event will help the community financially.

All proceeds from the Wheels on the Water classic car  show will be donated 
to the St. Clair County Sheriff  Department's Drug Abuse Resistance 
Education, or DARE,  program.

The show will be at Vantage Point, the Acheson  Ventures' development on 
the south side of the Black  River where it enters the St. Clair River.

Greene expects between 75 and 100 vehicles at the  event, which also will 
feature prizes, drawings, food  and entertainment.

"We've (had) some pretty horrendous things happen with  drug-related 
crimes," Greene said. "(I want) to show  kids you don't (have) to get 
involved with drugs to  have a good time."

Deputy Cyndy King, the sheriff department's DARE  officer, said Greene 
approached her last fall about  fund raising for the program.

King does programs with fifth-grade children at  township schools.

While the sheriff department pays her salary, they  don't pay for things 
such as the DARE pencils and  T-shirts she hands out.

With 700 to 900 students a year, even the small things  add up.

"It might allow me to expand drug talks to different  grades, like a 
one-time (public-relations) deal that I  might not be able to do now," King 
said. "If the high  school was having some sort of get-together, and 
they  wanted to have a small part of that be drug prevention, then I might 
be able to use the funds to expand in that  direction."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom