On Saturday, November 21st, D.A.R.E. BC Society's Good Citizen Committee exemplified what it meant to be a Good Citizen and help others in need. Volunteers gathered to make over 500 sandwiches for downtown Eastside Residents in need of a lunch. The Good Citizen Committee partnered with members of the Ministry of Justice, BC Affordable Housing, E&E Global, MAD Lab and MDE Electric to ensure the event was a success.
The Good Citizen Committee wanted to showcase being of service to the community, as helping others is a main component of the D.A.R.E. keepin' it REAL program. One youth volunteer, age 12, exclaimed that "I've never done something like this before. I was so excited to help out today, people were really grateful just to get a sandwich from us".
"I've never done something like this before. I was so excited to help out today, people were really grateful just to get a sandwich from us".
Board of Director Steve Ternes, explained the importance of such a project, "This is often an eye-opening experience for our volunteer team. D.A.R.E. BC Society prides itself on not only teaching children to make healthy choices and help others, but truly showing what it means to live a positive lifestyle and help those in need".
The Sandwich Give Out Event also became a successful fundraiser. We had an anonymous $1500.00 donation towards the implementation of Youth Engagement Summits with the RCMP Community Prevention Education Continuum (CPEC). CPEC is designed to mobilize a community to address and prevent community youth issues. It adopts the old adage of It takes a whole community to raise a child
and puts it into practice.
Y.E.S. 2 Knowledge, is a RCMP lead initiative that stands for Youth Engagement Summit 2 Knowledge Now. The Summits are held in communities across British Columbia for youth in Grades 7-9. The content of each Youth Engagement Summit is guided by the needs and desires of the local community. Topics can include healthy choices, leading a positive lifestyle, social media or choosing a drug-free life
D.A.R.E. BC Society also received a donation from a local DTES resident. He was very grateful to receive a lunch from the event, and was even more appreciative of what D.A.R.E. BC Society does for youth across British Columbia. He said he could attest to the damaging effects of alcohol and drugs and the importance of educating youth at a young age about the dangers of alcohol and drug use and abuse. Although he only had a quarter to spare, he wanted to contribute whatever he could to support Drug Abuse Resistance Education for youth.
With the success of the event, The Good Citizen Committee has already begun to organize the next Sandwich Give Out for Spring 2016. To make an even bigger impact upon the community, D.A.R.E. BC Society's Good Citizen Committee is looking forward to partnering with local businesses to provide supplies, including: bread, cheese, sandwich meat, juice and water.
If you or your business is interested in partnering with D.A.R.E. BC Society in our next event, plase contact Partnership and Communications Committee Chair, Steve Ternes, at sternes@icloud.com