D.A.R.E. Fundraising Alert
From Sgt. Brad Cummings
Just to let the public know: The Hopkins County Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program is a non-profit program that is conducted at the six rural Hopkins County schools. Each year Sgt. Brad Cummings, the Hopkins County D.A.R.E. Officer, coordinates a fundraiser to raise funds to continue the D.A.R.E. program for the children of our county. "I am the only person who collects donations for the D.A.R.E. program. I do not enlist the assistance of third party companies or individuals to help me collect donations or conduct fundraisers. I will never go door-to-door and solicit donations from individuals. At no time will any officer with the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office or Sulphur Springs Police Department go door-to-door to solicit donations for the D.A.R.E. program. If anyone ever comes to your door and states that they are raising funds for the D.A.R.E. program tell them that you are not interested, close your door, and call the Sheriff's Office or Police Department." "No one will ever receive a phone call from me or anyone with the Sheriff's Office or Police Department asking for donations. If you should ever receive a phone call from someone claiming to be raising money for D.A.R.E. tell them you are not interested, hang up, and call the Sheriff's Office or the Police Department." There has been an incident in the city where a gentleman was selling a product and informing homeowners that their money would help support the D.A.R.E. program. This is a scam to get people to buy their product and the people that he is talking to or has talked to are being misinformed as to where their money is going. "This gentleman and his associates are not raising money for D.A.R.E. These people are not employed by any law enforcement entity in Hopkins County and have no authorization to accept or ask for any donations for the D.A.R.E. program. These individuals are blatantly lying and are misrepresenting the D.A.R.E. program to get people to buy what they are selling."
This year the D.A.R.E. Program will be sponsoring the "Hopkins County Music and Comedy Review" variety show to help raise funds for the Hopkins County D.A.R.E. program. As with past fundraisers, this event will be promoted well in advance so that the public knows that there is a D.A.R.E. fundraiser going on to help fund the program. “The D.A.R.E. program is a positive guidance for our children in this county. The citizens of Hopkins County are very supportive of the program. Unfortunately, there are dishonest people that deliberately lie in an attempt to deceive people into thinking they are helping a program when in fact they not. I appreciate the positive feedback I receive from the public about the D.A.R.E. program. All of the local businesses and banks in Hopkins County are very generous when it comes to donating to the program. We also have citizens that have seen me out in the county or at the Sheriff’s Office, that have given me donations for the D.A.R.E. program. We have the blue clothing bins in the city and the county that citizens have utilized in donating clothing. These bins provide $450.00 a month for our D.A.R.E. program. I also have D.A.R.E. donation boxes that I periodically place at convenience stores in the county. These ongoing fundraisers along with the larger fundraisers, that are publicized and properly coordinated by me, are the only way that the Hopkins County D.A.R.E. program receives funds. I would like to stress to the public that if they are ever asked for donations for the D.A.R.E. program, it will only be a uniformed officer in an officially marked unit that will ever be authorized to ask for or accept a donation. Again, this will not be in door-to-door format nor will it be a collection or solicitation over the phone." If anyone is ever compelled to donate to the Hopkins County D.A.R.E. program, donations are always accepted anytime at to the Hopkins County Sheriff's Office, at 298 Rosemont St. in Sulphur Springs with attention to Sgt. Brad Cummings.
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