Carroll Valley Police Officer Bro. James W. Powers, Jr. with then-R.W. Grand Master James L. Ernette at the Masonic Conference Center at Elizabethtown.

Since 1994 the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania has been supporting the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (P.C.C.D.) with its mission to "provide children with the information and skills they need to live drug-and-violence-free lives," through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.). Recently, the support from the Masons of Pennsylvania reached a milestone with the graduation of the 500th D.A.R.E. officer, Bro. James W. Powers, Jr. of Carroll Valley Police in Fairfield, at the Masonic Conference Center located in Elizabethtown. Bro. Powers is a member of George Washington Lodge No. 143, Chambersburg.

Brother Powers, who began his career in law enforcement with the Carroll Valley Police in 1995, says children must realize "attitude is everything" because being positive about life and education will make it easier to overcome negative peer pressure. "Nothing is better than saving the lives of children. Masons of Pennsylvania take great pride in knowing that we are doing something for every child throughout the Commonwealth who has had a D.A.R.E. officer visit their elementary school or secondary school," said then-R.W. Grand Master James L. Ernette in addressing the D.A.R.E. graduating class.

The Masonic Conference Center at Elizabethtown has been designated by P.C.C.D. as the official D.A.R.E. Training Center which hosts a minimum of two training classes per year. This allows uniformed police officers enrolled in D.A.R.E. from across the Commonwealth to receive two weeks of intensive training, a total of 80 hours, compliments of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Masonic Foundation for Children, who has been the liaison between P.C.C.D. and the Grand Lodge, supports D.A.R.E. with an annual budget of approximately $80,000, a small price to pay when dealing with the lives of children.