From June 7-12, Volunteers of America hosted its 12th consecutive Camp P.O.S.T.C.A.R.D. (Police Officers Striving To Create And Reinforce Dreams) in Casper. With the support of our community, the Green River Police Department School Resource Officers Program was able take part in another amazing year at Camp P.O.S.T.C.A.R.D. This year, Green River School Resource Officers took 10 students from Green River to the camp. Students are chosen to attend camp after being nominated by teachers and staff as students who have leadership potential. Eight sixth-grade students were selected from Monroe school to attend camp for the first time and two high school students, who attended camp in former years, were selected to return to camp as mentors to the younger students. Our Green River students joined four students from Farson to represent Sweetwater County at this state wide program.
Camp POSTCARD is a popular and successful program that has proven to provide students with an important opportunity to build valuable life skills. While at camp, our youth spends time with their local School Resource Officers along with a variety of law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, all working with them on activities to improve teamwork and leadership skills. While at camp, our students start and end each day raising and lowering the American flag. Students then enjoy a hot breakfast before starting the day’s activities which teach them how to work with others as a team. The tasks given to them require them to work together and communicate in order to complete it. In addition to the teamwork activities, the students learn gun safety from a Police firearms instructor and have the opportunity to target shoot a .22 rifle at a safe firing range. Students also enjoy practicing archery, rock wall climbing, hiking using a GPS, fly fishing and many other similar activities. Students break around noon for a hot lunch and again in the evening for dinner. During the late evening, students cook s’mores at a campfire while sharing stories with Officers. During the night, students stay in cabins sleeping on bunk beds or cots.
During the last full day, students participate in “Demonstration Day” in which students watch a Police K-9 unit in action, mounted patrol scenarios, bomb squad demonstrations as well as drunken driving simulations. In addition, students get to work with the Fire Department, Search and Rescue, EMS, Game and Fish, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
At the end of this day, there is a graduation ceremony in which students receive awards and certificates from officers. Upon conclusion of camp, our youth stated they made many new friends and grew substantially in many areas including confidence, leadership, humility, teamwork, kindness and obedience.
We would like to thank the Eagles Club for their unwavering support in donating each year to the SRO program. We’d also like to thank School District No. 2, City of Green River, Castle Rock Medical Center, US Bank, Trona Valley Credit Union, and Yager Construction. With the support of our local businesses, our community’s youth are able to attend this camp for free.
If you would like more information about this program contact the School Resource Officer at your child’s school.
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