Ever since he was appointed as the instructor for the Guttenberg Drug Awareness and Resistance Education (DARE) program a little over a year ago, Police Officer Gary Boesch has been searching for ways to receive additional funding. “For a town as small as Guttenberg with only one school, there’s a limited amount of money that we could receive,” Boesch said. “We want to offer as many programs as possible for the children, but it does get tough at times. There is a limitation on how we can raise money.” Which means that Boesch couldn’t offer the outside activities – such as trips to basketball games or perhaps an afternoon at the local movie theater – that other DARE programs offer for their participants. “We were pretty much limited to classroom supplies,” Boesch said. Recently, Boesch went to a Hudson County DARE seminar and he was introduced to Jersey City and North Bergen police officers who have used donation bins, much like the ones used by local branches of the Salvation Army, as a source of possible income for the programs. People could donate their unwanted clothes, toys and shoes into the bins and a local recycling firm, American Recycling Technologies, then presents a check to the DARE program for a certain amount of goods collected. “I thought it was a good idea and I decided to jump on it,” Boesch said. Boesch then presented the idea to the Guttenberg Township Council and they approved the plan, as long as Boesch could find a suitable site for the clothes and toys recycling bin. “My superior officers were receptive and the Town Council was receptive,” Boesch said. “Once we found a site, it went off without a hitch.” Boesch also had a fine idea about the locations for the bins. “In Guttenberg, we don’t have our own gasoline pump, so we have an account with the local Mobil station (located at 6800 Kennedy Blvd.),” Boesch said. “I asked the owner of the station (Arjot Diktas) if he would allow us to put the bins there and he was very cooperative with everything. It’s costing him nothing and it’s a way that he can give back to the community. The owner was more than willing to help.” Boesch said that American Recycling Technologies would be responsible for the maintenance of the bins. “I’ve seen some of their other bins and they definitely take care of them,” Boesch said. After Boesch received approval from the New Jersey chapter of DARE, the recycling bins were put into place. “We’re urging all residents to bring their donations of used clothes, shoes and toys to these DARE bins,” Boesch said. “This will give residents another option on where to donate their clothes and items, other than Salvation Army. It’s a way that everyone can contribute to the DARE program. The more money we raise, the [more] it will lead to additional programs outside the classroom.” Currently, Boesch teaches DARE classes to third, fourth and fifth grade students at Anna L. Klein School. “It’s more than just teaching them about drugs,” Boesch said. “We try to establish a positive rapport with the youngsters. They come to the officers with their problems. A lot of it has to do with self-esteem, with life lessons. You want to be able to help.” Although Boesch doesn’t mind his duties as a DARE instructor, he also likes his profession as a law enforcer. “It’s just as rewarding dealing with crime as it is dealing with the kids in school,” Boesch said. “I really enjoy both sides of it. But if we can make a difference with this project, then we’ll be able to do more. And it’s all about helping the kids.”
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