The Philadelphia Police Foundation (PPF) presented $12,500 to the Philadelphia Police Department to support the operation of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program for Philadelphia’s school children. The funding was made possible through a donation from the Connelly Foundation.

The funding will cover the D.A.R.E. curriculum to about 2,200 students in the fifth and sixth grades at schools throughout the city. The program goes beyond traditional drug abuse and violence prevention programs. Philadelphia Police Community Relations Officers also teach school children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs, or become involved in gangs and/or violent activities.

“Drug use by teenagers can lead to terrible outcomes, for themselves, their families and their community,” said Thomas Riley, a member of the PPF Board of Directors and Connelly Foundation’s Vice President of Planning. “Addiction can be a lifelong struggle, and this is truly an area where prevention is more important than remediation – if a young person can be dissuaded from starting out on the path to addiction, the cost savings to society can be enormous. The D.A.R.E. program has many secondary benefits – introducing students to trained law enforcement personnel, and building connections between police officers and schools.”

“The Police Foundation is extremely grateful to Tom Riley and the Connelly Foundation for the their interest, concern and participation in supporting a program like D.A.R.E. to provide early education to our children on the futility of substance abuse and other behavior issues,” said Maureen Rush, Board President of the nonprofit Philadelphia Police Foundation and Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of Police at the University of Pennsylvania.

The Philadelphia Police Foundation (www.phillypolicefoundation.org) was established in 1999 by civic and corporate leaders in the Philadelphia region as “A Force Behind the Shield.” The Foundation’s primary focus is to assist the officers of the Philadelphia Police Department by funding urgently needed special programs, equipment and community endeavors not provided in the City of Philadelphia’s annual budget. Tax-deductible donations can be made by visiting the Foundation’s website.

Contact: Larry Rubin

Rubin Public Relations

484-417-6939 – rubinpr@comcast.net