Project Charlie is looking for volunteers

Undeniably, some of kids' drug problems come from a society where an increasing number of children are growing up in single-parent households and moms and dads are working more to make ends meet.

Other adult volunteers are getting involved in children's lives in a positive way.

Project Charlie is a program that came to Southeast Missouri in 1985 and is available today in Cape Girardeau and Jackson elementary schools.

"Charlie" is short for Chemical Abuse Resolution Lies In Education. Volunteer role models are doing the educating. They teach one 30-minute class each week during the school year -- fourth-grade students the first semester and second-grade students the second semester. Currently, the project has 18 classroom positions and six school coordinators.

It's a big commitment, but an investment of time in keeping kids off drugs is among the best a person can make.

A workshop for Project Charlie volunteers in both Cape Girardeau and Jackson is scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. Jan. 16 at LaCroix United Methodist Church in Cape Girardeau. Project Charlie volunteer trainer Jana Jateff can be reached at 651-4103 for more information.