Volume 9, No. 2, Winter 2015

The
Informant
Newsletter of the DEA Museum & the DEA Educational Foundation
Winter 2015, Volume 9 Number 2
DEA Educational Foundation Signs Historic MOU
with CTBC Charity Foundation
In December of 2014, representatives of the DEA Educational Foundation and the DEA Museum traveled to Taiwan
to finalize a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with
the CTBC Charity Foundation for a collaboration to create
an anti-drug exhibit for Taiwan. As the last step toward this
collaboration, DEA Museum Director Sean Fearns and Education Coordinator Catie Drew visited Taiwan’s National
Science Technology Education Center, the proposed site for
the first installment of the exhibit, and met with its Director
and staff. This opportunity enabled the DEA Museum staff
to gain a better understanding of both exhibits and education programs in Taiwan, allowing them to create an initial
proposal to begin working on this new exhibit.
In addition to meetings between the Museum staff and
the Science Center, the DEA Country Attaché, Andy Malanga, met with representatives of Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice.
The DEA Museum staff envisions incorporating Taiwan’s
anti-drug education programs, including those provided by
law enforcement, to give an accurate portrayal of the drug
abuse issues and solutions in Taiwan.
Members of the Board of Directors of the DEA Educational
Foundation, Staff of the DEA, DEA Museum, meet with the
government of Taiwan and the CTBC Charity Foundation.
DEA Museum Newsletter | 1
The
Informant
The DEA Museum Newsletter
is published quarterly.
Editor
Catie Drew
Graphics Designer
Jonathan Kapaldo
Museum Staff
Catie Drew
Sean Fearns
Sonia Klukas
Vince Lutes
Dianne Martin
Shanita Perry
DEA Educational Foundation
Board of Directors
Bill Alden, Chairman & CEO
James McGivney, Vice President
Christopher Egan, Secretary
Daniel Staffieri, Treasurer
Jodi Avergun, Esq.
Peter Bensinger
Charles Blau, Esq.
Mark Gold, M.D.
David Katz
Colleen Maloof
Helen Mars
Carol Safir
Sam Solakyan
Sue Thau
Walter Wang
Michael Yamaki, Esq.
Ex Officio
John Bartels
Robert Bonner
Thomas Constantine
Asa Hutchinson
John Lawn
Michele Leonhart
Donnie Marshall
Francis Mullen
Tom Raffanello
Karen Tandy
Young Executives Council
Scott F. Canales
Jessica Nickel
Jill Roberts
Kevin Sabet
www.deaeducationalfoundation.org
DEA Museum
P.O. Box 2534
Springfield, VA 22152
202.307.3463
www.deamuseum.org
www.targetamerica.org
The DEA Museum is a public/private
partnership between the Drug Enforcement
Administration and the DEA Educational
Foundation.
Copyright ©2014
2 | The Informant
YDP Staff
Spotlight
Winter
2015
Henry Kasdon
DEA Youth Dance
Program Instructor
Henry “Kidspin” Kasdon recently received a certificate of appreciation
from the Drug Enforcement Administration in Boston for his exceptional
passion and dedication to the DEA Educational Foundation Youth Dance
Program. Henry is a DEA Youth Dance Program instructor at two Boston
elementary schools.
Combining his athletic experience and love for music, Henry began
his dance career at Tufts University in 1998 as a Bboy (breakdancer). He
quickly strengthened his thirst for dance to various mediums of dance
including hip hop, jazz, modern, and various cultural dances throughout
his college education. After graduating in 2002, Henry joined Rainbow
Tribe Dance Company and began teaching hip hop at Boston and Harvard
Universities. In the following years he expanded his teaching repertoire to
elementary schools, high schools and local dance studios. He was featured
in the only Boston episode of MTV’s My Super Sweet 16, and has choreographed multiple routines for the Boston Ballet. In 2008 Henry co-founded
Bside and has enjoyed his role as Director of the dance company. He travels often to teach master classes throughout New England and the Boston
area. As a DJ, drummer, entrepreneur, coach, husband, and father, he has a
very full life – but there is always time to dance.
Henry shares about his passion for dance education, “I played sports
my whole life, and I was always into drama, film, and personal expression. I discovered dance when I got to college, and was
immediately drawn to the idea of combining art and
athleticism. I’ll dance anywhere anytime, but spreading
the excitement and knowledge of hip hop culture with
a drug education message to people of all ages is especially rewarding.”
Traveling Exhibit Wraps 3rd Year in Afghanistan
More than 68,000 Afghan children, parents, and
teachers visited two mobile exhibits developed and
operated by the DEA Educational Foundation and
DEA Museum in rural Afghanistan in 2014. This
important drug abuse prevention program takes place
at a critical time in Afghanistan’s development, as the
U.S. military presence there draws down and opium/
heroin production remains at an all-time high.
Originally developed in 2011, these mobile exhibitions traveled throughout the cities of Herat and
Mazzar-e-Sharif in the western and northern provinces of Afghanistan. Funded by the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, a third copy of the exhibit is being
transitioned to be operated by the Afghan government
in the capitol city of Kabul. All three exhibits are accompanied by street theater performances that carry
the same messages as the exhibit; the impact that
opium and heroin have on Afghan society, the science
of how it affects the human body, and the importance
of making good decisions and staying drug-free. More
than 36,000 young Afghans viewed the street theater
performances in 2014.
Evaluations by school teachers and principals
as well as feedback from the target audience – the
children – indicates that these exhibits are being well
received and making a difference in educating young
Afghans about the dangers of opium and heroin. A
proposal for “Year 4” of this project in 2015 is being
submitted to the State Department for consideration.
Scenes from the display of the
mobile drug education exhibits
in Afghanistan in 2014.
DEA Museum Newsletter | 3
Target Maryland
Update
Since the opening of Target Maryland at the Discovery Station in Hagerstown, MD, staff have provided vital drug education through exhibit tours and a
wealth of drug prevention literature.
•Youth Groups – Several troops of Boy Scouts and
Girl Scouts have participated in interactive tours. The
Police Athletic League teens were fortunate to tour
with the guidance of the Educator and a Washington
County, MD Drug Task Force Officer which was a
very valuable experience
•Adult Tours – Washington County, MD science
teachers from elementary and middle Schools were
provided a guided tour to preview the exhibit. The
Washington County Assistant Principals Meeting with
37 Secondary Administrators and the Supervisor of
Student Services received a presentation on current
drug trends with the collaboration of the DEA Field
Office, the Drug Task Force, and the Educator, Susan
Fox, followed by a guided tour of Target Maryland.
•International Special Group of Interest – A group
of 64 non-English speaking guests from International
Fellowship Program through the United Army War
College embraced the graphics of the exhibit as a universal language.
•Community Outreach Events – Formal presentations provided by Susan Fox with literature displayed
and distributed. The Lions Club, The Sunrise Rotary
Club, The UAW 171 – Volvo/Mack Trucks, all of Hagerstown, were great opportunities to give insight into
the dangers and consequences of drugs and addiction,
as well as spreading the word about Target Maryland.
At the events, contacts were made for further drug
education with groups. Audience participants shared
about their family members and friends struggling
with addiction.
•Discovery Station Fundraiser Events – Surgeon’s
vs. Chefs Halloween Extravaganza where Susan was
able to address over 300 people @ Target Maryland
and hand out brochures. Also Casino Night – interaction with guests and brochures were available.
•DEA Field Office - Collaborations with Special
Agent Brian Fitzpatrick and Drug Task Force members from the Hagerstown Police Dept. and Washington Co. Sheriff’s Dept. with support for on-site adult
presentations was “eye opening” for guests.
•Media Awareness – Operations Manager Brittany
Wedd, Board Member Steve Hummel, and Educator Susan Fox did a live half hour broadcast on WJEJ
Radio with Lou Scally to promote Discovery Station
and Target Maryland.
•Outreach and Promotion – to all schools in Washington Co. and surrounding counties, as well as, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia schools within a
50 mile radius can attend by utilizing $6,000 in scholarship money provided by sponsor Motorola Foundation, which will cover admission and bus expenses to
the exhibit.
•Student Volunteer/Docent – Williamsport High
10th grader Haley DeLoso attended Target Maryland
with her great-grandmother Sharon and were given a
personal tour by Educator Susan Fox. Haley was so interested that she has been trained to
be a volunteer/docent to work for 4
hours on Saturdays and is planning
a career in law enforcement.
•TripAdvisor Reviews – Please
visit: www.TripAdvisor.com
Search: Discovery Station Hagerstown, Maryland for Reviews of
Target Maryland. The exhibit has
received three 5 Star reviews to
date.
DEA Educator Susan Fox with a
group of Girl Scouts who visited the
Target Maryland exhibit at the Discovery Station in Hagerstown, MD
4 | The Informant
In Gratitude for Your Support
The DEA Educational Foundation and the DEA Museum are grateful to the following individuals who made
generous contributions and are current members of the Administrator’s Cabinet and the Inner Circle.*
Administrator’s Cabinet - $1,000 or more
William Alden
Jodi Avergun
Peter Bensinger
Stephen Cha
Colleen Maloof
Helen Mars
Robert Nieves
Tom Raffanello
Jill Roberts
Carol Safir
Sam Solakyan
Dan Staffieri
Robert Stutman
Sue Thau
Larry Thompson
Walter Wang
Inner Circle - $100 or more
Norbert Adamski
Lorraine Ambrose
Stuart Amos
Mel Ashton
George Auflick
Frank Balazs
Joseph Barrett
John Bartels, Jr.
Bill Beach
Marcelino Bedolla
Morty L. Benjamin
Judith Bertini
Charles Blau
George Brosan
Paul Brown
John Buckley
W. Barry Carew
Gerard F. Carey
Thomas Cash
George Y. Clemente
James B. Conklin
Richard Crawford
Joseph M. Crowe
Robin E. Cushing
Robert DeFauw
Stephen Delgado
Chris Egan
Sean Fearns
Thomas Feeney
John Fencer
Richard Fiano
W. Gordon Fink
Lawrence M. Gallina
William Gellerman
Jerome H. Gershman
Albert Glover
Peter Grant
James Green
Edward M. Guillen
William Healey
Frank Hildebrandt
Raymond Justinic
Michael F. Kane
Joseph & Nancy Keefe
Leslie C. Kenney
James Kibble
Leonard Klein
Douglas Kuehl
Jan Larsen
Jack Lawn
Gary Liming
Jack Lloyd
Charles Lutz
Harold R. Mackenzie
Peter MacVean
John McCurnin
J. Taylor Monfort
Dennis A. Morton
Francis Mullen
John Nattinger
Al Nedoff
Robert Nickoloff
Richard Oakley
Robert Palombo
John Peoples
Ronald Provencher
Joseph Quarequio
Tom Raffanello
John Raftery
M.S. Ramey
Richard Robinson
Frank D. Rodriguez
Robert Rogers
Dorsey Shannon
Andrew Sherbine
Milton E. Shoquist
Fred Smith
Sam Solakyan
Daniel Staffieri
Robert Stutman
Leo A. Thomas
John Thompson
Mary Turner
Peter Vinton
Delphin von Briesen, Jr.
Ruth Warren
Dave Willis
John H. Windham
D. Lynn Wood
*as of March 2, 2015
Please help support us through Amazon Smile! You can now choose the
DEA Educational Foundation as your Amazon Smile recipient and .5% of
anything you purchase on Amazon will be donated to the DEA Educational
Foundation. These contributions will help support the DEA Museum and
the DEA Youth Dance Program. Please follow this link to get started:
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1922097
DEA Museum Newsletter | 5
DEA Museum News
Maximus & Motorola Grants
The DEA Educational Foundation and the DEA
Museum & Visitors Center would like to acknowledge
the Maximus Foundation and Motorola Foundation
for their contributions in funding transportation for
area schools to visit the DEA Museum. The Museum
received a huge outpouring from area schools that anticipate visiting the Museum. Six schools were selected to visit the Museum, with a total of 536 students
and teachers experiencing the educational exhibits
and interacting with the museum staff and volunteer
Special Agents.
Museum Archives
The DEA Museum was recently asked by the DEA
Special Testing Laboratory to use its Baño Maria from
the collection. The Baño Maria was used as a cooking
vessel in a jungle coca lab in the 1990s. It was used to
conduct modern testing on cocaine hydrochloride, and
then returned to the Museum.
DEA Museum
Spring Lecture Series
Announced
The DEA Museum is pleased to announce it’s spring lecture series:
1. April 22, 2015, 11:00, AM
Eastern – A panel discussion
on the History of DEA’s Special
Operations Division.
Grant-sponsored students visiting the DEA Museum
2. June 25, 2015, 11:00 AM
Eastern – John Whalen will
discuss Khun Sa and Operation
Tiger Trap.
All lectures will be webcast live on:
www.deamuseum.org
Save the Date!!!
The DEA Annual Memorial Service will
be held on May 14, 2015, at DEA HQ.
The event will also be webcast live for
free on www.deamuseum.org.
6 | The Informant
DEA Museum News
Hails and Farewells
Juliette Wurm
Juliette Wurm from Landenberg, Pennsylvania
joined the Museum Staff as a spring intern. Juliette
fits right in with the Museum Staff as she is working
on her Master of Arts in Teaching, with a concentration in Museum Education, at George Washington
University. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree
in History from the State University of New York
at Cortland. Juliette jumped right in to help the staff
update and renovate our traveling exhibit, Target
America, which is being redesigned to be smaller but
more interactive. She has also been working closely
with Museum Educator Catie Drew on updating the
Standards of Learning (SOLs) for the Target America
exhibit and on social media. Welcome Juliette!
Special Agent Namon Jones
The Museum Staff knew the day
would come when Special Agent
(SA) Namon Jones would retire. SA
Jones retired at the end of December
with over 25 years in law enforcement. SA Jones has been the Museums “most requested” speaker for
the past five years. Many returning visitors from local
colleges, Boy Scouts of America, “At Risk” centers,
and pharmaceutical and dental colleges routinely
make reservations and ask if they can get SA Jones
to speak to their group. Namon gave an interesting
presentation and was able to connect to whatever age
group he was speaking to. Middle school kids, college
students, and senior citizen groups all enjoyed hearing about his career in law enforcement and learning
about the latest drug trends. He always made himself
available to speak one-on-one to those visitors who
wanted to pursue careers in law enforcement. The
Museum Staff misses Namon and is currently recruiting Agents that can join the speaker team. We wish
Namon health and happiness in his retirement and we
appreciate his outstanding commitment to the DEA
Museum and Visitors Center.
www.deagiftshop.com
Under Armour’s very popular Charged Cot
ton T with a new design that reflects DEA’s
service to the nation. Loose fit cotton, HeatGear, 4 way stretch, ArmourBlock, Moisture
Transport System. Available S-XXL, $25.
Baby Set. Bottle: USA-made – 8 oz
BPA free baby bottle with silicone
nipple and standard closure. Rattle: No sharp edges and a soft,
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full-size infant bib. Entire set: $12
DEA Museum Newsletter | 7
DEA Museum NEWSLETTER
WINTER 2015
The mission of the DEA Museum and Visitors Center is to educate the public on the history of drugs, drug abuse, and drug law enforcement
through engaging exhibits, interactive displays, and educational outreach programs, all to emphasize and encourage a drug-abuse-free society.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
4
Target Maryland
6
Maximus & Motorola Grants
www.facebook.com/deaedfoundation
www.twitter.com/deaedfoundation
P.O. Box 2534
Springfield, VA 22152
202.307.3463
The
Informant
3
Afghan Exhibit Update
www.deaeducationalfoundation.org
www.deamuseum.org
1
Taiwan MOU Signing