R.A.C.E.

Mora introduced Doug Ironside as the Planning Chair for R.A.C.E. against Drugs and a nurse with the Simcoe Muskoda Health District.

Doug said the initials stand for Respect - Action - Courage - Excellence and he thanked the Club for its support and for the invitation to talk about the initiative.  He introduced David Hobson as the other co-chair.  It's a joint project with many local organizations and the police forces.  About 500 gr. 5 students from 20 schools from all the North Simcoe Boards participate each year.  Each group of students spends about half a day at the Gym at NSSRC but the event acutally lasts for two days.  Grade 5 seems to be a receptive age for this message.  Programs geared to older kids assume they have experience or at least knoweldge of drugs but this program hopes to give the young ones the tools to deal with exposre when it comes.  DARE is a follow up in gr. 6, a reinforcing program.

The program uses an auto racing theme to generate interest and includes a series of pit - or educational - stops that talk about things like the short and long term effects of drugs, refusal skills and resistance techniques.  David is the host and MC at the event.  Partners include the Midland and Provincial police, the School Boards, the Wellness agencies, the Y and etc.

Getting the students there by bus is the major cost and it has gone up dramatically over the last few years.  Students are charged a nominal amount for transportation but it still represents the largest part of their budget which averages about $2,000.00.

The pit stops are - Flyers Fitness, hockey players talking about active lifestyles; an OPP drug display on how to recognize drugs; a 'Gamble Scramble'; Brain Science which shows models of the effects of drugs on the brain; knowledge, a trivia test; Play Live Tobacco Free; Impairment; Think of Me where kids express themselves to drunk drives on the risks they represent; Story Tellilng Tipi; You Can Say No, a message relayed by MSS drama students who play out strategies; and the Kart Race which is the Mario Kart Wii which illustrates the need for concentration and control in cars and, by extrapolation, in life.

Doug says the program seems to make an impact that stays with the kids even into high school.  He has had discussions with students years later who feel it helped.  Aaron Ledlie remembers it and look how he turned out.

Mora presented Doug with a donation of $1,500.00 for the program and Sue thanked him for coming to speak and gave him the notice of the donation to help end polio.