Thank you to local heroes

In a world where we read of shootings and robbery every day, we need to know there is good and kindness and volunteerism still going on in our very own community.

Project Charlie is a drug- and alcohol-prevention program that is taught in second and fourth grades in all Cape Girardeau public schools. It is a volunteer program, generated by a board of directors and funded by the Cape Evening Optimist Club.

Each year a group of men and women go through a training class and are assigned a classroom where they teach the same children for 30 minutes each week -- self-esteem, good decision-making skills, peer pressure and the dangers of drugs and alcohol. At the end of the semester they have a graduation complete with a certificate, and Dr. Terry Spence, our local orthodontist, so graciously donates cookies and goody bags for all 800 students in the Cape public schools.

Project Charlie volunteers call upon speakers from SoutheastHEALTH such as Scott Givens, who teaches a lesson on the dangers of tobacco; Jon Bechtel, from Teen Challenge, who shares testimonies on the dangers of drugs; and Roy Rahn, who brings the drug dog and shares a lesson on drugs. We are so privileged in Cape Girardeau to have these heroes who give their time, resources and love of children to instill values in children and why it is important to stay away from drugs and alcohol.

JANA JATEFF, board member,

Project Charlie, Cape Girardeau