Paulding D.A.R.E. Students Collect Supplies For Fire Victims

DALLAS, GA — For one Paulding County deputy, the recent wildfires that devastated parts of the East Tennessee mountains weren't just a tragedy. They were also a teaching opportunity.

Dep. Eric Mistretta, who teaches D.A.R.E. courses at Russom Elementary and Shelton Elementary, decided to use the fires in and around the Gatlinburg area to issue a "Good Citizen Challenge" to his pupils.

Mistretta challenged his students to collect as many much-needed supplies for the victims of the fires as they could.

"One of the lessons that is taught in D.A.R.E. is to be a 'good citizen'," the Paulding sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post. "What better way to teach a lesson to children than to let them directly participate in it?"

The supplies that the students collected were transported to Tennessee last weekend "to the folks who needed them most," the sheriff's office reported.

Photo courtesy Paulding County Sheriff's Office