Local police host youth leadership camp

By LEESA FRIEND

News-Gazette publisher

Approximately 40 Randolph County youth participated in the first annual Randolph County Law Enforcement Youth Leadership Camp held at the Randolph County Fairgrounds.

The camp, a free program of law enforcement demonstrations and activities, was held Thursday and Friday, Aug. 7-8. Participants were local boys and girls, ages 10-15. Officers and volunteers from the Randolph County Sheriffs Department; Winchester, Union City and Lynn police departments; Farmland Fire Department; S.A.D.D; and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources have planned for more than six months to design the program. The program was created as a way for young people to build leadership skills and to give them time to interact with law enforcement in a positive atmosphere.

Several activities were planned for the three day program. Activities included formation and drills (military style), demonstrations on traffic stops, demonstrations of the effects of the taser and mace equipment and the K-9 unit. Local S.A.D.D. advocate Jim Noffsinger showed the youth the effects drunk driving has on an individual. Wearing visual impairment simulation goggles, participants tried to play corn hole and drove a golf cart through a supervised obstacle course. They also participated in other standardized field sobriety tests.

Scheduled offsite activities included a pool party where the children participated in scuba diving exercises, skating at the local skating rink and a tour of the Randolph County jail. The camp schedule included a visit to Camp Yale where a local DNR officer demonstrated archery, fishing and other outdoor skills. Different stations were set up and visited by the four groups of participants where they participated in the ropes course and the zip line. The ropes course objectives are to teach leadership and teamwork skills in a small group.

Students camped indoors at the Fairgrounds on Thursday and Friday evening where a open commissary was available for them to obtain snacks.

Tonight an awards banquet will be held for all participants and their parents. Certificates and awards will be given for participation, and items learned during the program.

There were many sponsors who helped raise the more than $4,000 required to provide this free program. Sponsors include - Gold Sponsors: Union-Go Dairy, Winchester Police Department, Frank Miller Lumber. Silver Sponsors: Jonathan Nicholson, Showtime, M.A.F.I.A., Cup and Sauser Café, Pizza King, Maxine Parrott, Oliver and Oliver Attorney, Scott Wickersham, Inc., China House, Eastern Indiana Eye Care, American Legion Post #39 Inc., Voice For Christ Church, Fraternal Order of Eagles Twin State Aerie No. 2790, Wilson-Shook, Drug Free Randolph County Inc. Bronze Sponsors: Family and Occupational of Lynn and Ridgeville, Delta Theta Tau Sorority Inc., Hinshaw Tool and Die, Hutchens Carpet Cleaning, Smith Auto Sales, Mannings Service Inc., Franky's Salon, John Ward's Garage, Lynn Vet Clinic, Private Donor, O.B.'s Ice Cream, Harvest Land Co-op, Lynn Elevator, Main Source Bank, Mike Necessary, U.S. Bank, Greensfork Township Bank, Bennie Jones, Travis Jones, Historic Farmland U.S.A, Wick's Pies, First Merchant's Corp., Thayer Funeral Home, Downtown Washateria, Hawkins Insurance and Financial, Senior Living Inc. , Aldi, First Presbyterian Church, Peter and Anna Haviza, Susan K. Pyle, M.D., First Merchants Insurance, Stoney Creek Farms and Catering, Our Neu Pizza House II, Doug Wynn, Cup and Sauser and Calvary Assembly of God Church.

For more information concerning the camp is available online at: www.rcleyouthleadership.com.