Summer Day Camp to Stress Drug Education

The Downey City Council has approved a summer day camp program that will offer drug education sessions for 96 youngsters, 9 to 13 years old.

Sports, crafts and field trips also will be offered during the one-week programs to demonstrate how participants can have fun without using drugs and alcohol, Police Chief Pete Stone said in a letter to the council. The camps will be held July 17 to 21 and July 31 to Aug. 4 at Rio San Gabriel Park.

The summer sessions are part of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (DARE), in which a police officer visits fifth-grade students every week to discuss drug misuse.

Registration is $35 for the first child in a family and $30 for each additional child. Applications will be available in May at Downey schools or the Police Department.