Pubdate: Thu, 14 Feb 2008 Source: Ventura County Star (CA) Copyright: 2008 The E.W. Scripps Co. Contact: http://www.venturacountystar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/479 Author: Wendy Dager Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.) STAY OUT OF MY SPACE This is going to sound weird, but the supermarket has always been my happy place. I shop and ponder and am at peace with the world, surrounded by aisles of colorful packaging and tasty treats and the smell of fresh coffee. I do not want anyone bugging me within what is supposed to be my zone of comfort. About 25 years ago, I was inside a grocery store when a hearing-impaired guy handed me a card asking for money. We got into an altercation - in sign language - which ended in his cursing me out. I was a little shaken by that incident and, obviously, I haven't forgotten it. I was stupid to get mouthy with the guy, but I have a profoundly deaf sister who is a hard worker and high achiever and never let her deafness get in the way of her success. Also, I was inside the supermarket, not outside, where, when approached by those wanting personal donations, shaking your head "no" will generally suffice. And that's mostly what it was about - the guy was in my space. Twenty-five years later, at what's supposed to be the mature age of 45, I don't take much guff, but I've also become more tolerant. I temper my big mouth with patience. Still, the supermarket remains my bastion of relaxation, and I don't want to be bothered while I'm in it. That's why I was a little annoyed when the well-dressed young man was in the Simi Valley Pavilions, trying to sell me a coupon book. He came up to me while I was attempting to make a very important decision: plain coffee cake or lemon. He said he was selling the books to raise money for D.A.R.E., the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which, he said, is getting less government funding. Well, sure, I care about that. Both my kids went through D.A.R.E. and I support our local police and their efforts to keep children on the right path. But, once again, someone was intruding upon one of my few chances to temporarily get away from my office. I smiled and said something snarky. He thanked me and walked away. I learned later that the store manager asked him and his partner to leave. I wondered if the fundraiser was legitimate, so I spoke to John Lindsay, D.A.R.E. America's regional director, and asked him if it was true that D.A.R.E. had lost government backing. Lindsay told me that D.A.R.E. America's funding had been cut by 80 percent. The coupon books are, indeed, a legitimate fundraiser, even though D.A.R.E. only makes 50 cents off the sale of each one, which are sold by independent vendors. Lindsay told me that the books' sales keep D.A.R.E. officials from having to ask D.A.R.E. police officers - or the schoolchildren they're helping - to raise money to finance the program. I asked Lindsay if he knew that the vendors' salespeople were soliciting customers inside supermarkets. He told me they were supposed to follow a code of conduct and that he'd talk to the vendor in my area. I then spoke with Daymond Rice, the director of public affairs and government relations for Safeway, the parent company of Pavilions. He said that, while outside-of-the-store rules vary, Safeway's policy is that there is absolutely no soliciting allowed inside the store. So, the salesperson definitely wasn't supposed to be in my supermarket. I felt a little better about being selfish with my solitude, but I still went online and made a donation to D.A.R.E. I guess that's another thing that comes with age - the ability to put my money where my big mouth is. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake