Station rewards donors with three special live performance downloads.

Philadelphia radio station 93.3 WMMR and its Preston and Steve Show in the morning are teaming up with the nonprofit Philadelphia Police Foundation to raise funds to help keep Philadelphia Police D.A.R.E. officers in Philadelphia schools to teach youngsters about the disastrous consequences of using illegal and prescription drugs.

“As a thank you to anyone who donates to D.A.R.E. at www.wmmr.com or www.phillypolicefoundation.org/wmmr, they will receive three live performance downloads from Kaleo, The Stuts and Cage the Elephant,” said Kathy Romano, a Philadelphia Police Foundation Advisory Board Member and a Preston and Steve Show morning drive cast member.

“The Philadelphia Police Foundation is truly grateful to 93.3 WMMR and Preston and Steve for initiating and actively supporting our efforts to raise funding for the continuation of the D.A.R.E. program in our city schools,” said Maureen Rush, Board President of the PPF and Vice President for Public Safety and Superintendent of Police at the University of Pennsylvania.

“We are especially thankful to 93.3 WMMR, the Preston and Steve Show, and their listeners for showing their support and encouragement of the men and women of law enforcement in these very difficult days of strife for those sworn to protect the safety and rights of all citizens,” Rush added.

The funding from the 93.3 WMMR effort will cover the D.A.R.E. curriculum to more than 2,000 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 violence.

“It is important to remember that addiction can be a terribly devastating thing for young people, their families and the community,” Rush said. “If a young person can be dissuaded from starting out on the patch to addiction, the cost savings to society can be substantial. The D.A.R.E. program also introduces students to trained law enforcement personnel, which builds potentially long-term connections between law enforcement officers and the community.”

This year, D.A.R.E. America estimates that millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence.

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. Over the past three years, the Foundation has provided the Philadelphia Police Department with almost $1.2 million in funding. Tax-deductible donations can be made by visiting the Foundation’s website.