UPDATE, 9/11: The original article from 9/10 has been updated to reflect changes to the event schedule.
Sto-Rox School District is taking part in a kickoff event later this month for the Community Violence Reduction Initiative (CVRI) in our neighborhoods. On Tuesday, September 24th, a Peace Walk and Cookout will be held in McKees Rocks from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
MORE INFORMATION: Brett Douthett at Focus on Renewal - bdouthett@forstorox.org
Organized by Focus On Renewal and supported by Sto-Rox School District and the Welcome to the Table Project, the kickoff event will feature a Peace Walk with participants gathering at the Stowe Township Municipal Building at 4:45 p.m. and then marching to the green space next to the Roxian Theatre along Chartiers Avenue starting at 5 p.m.
The Peace Walk will be followed by a cookout courtesy of the district starting at 5:30 p.m.; starting at 6 p.m. there will be door prizes, guest speakers, and a name reveal for the Sto-Rox Community Coalition that is working to reduce violence in our neighborhoods. Community sponsors of this event include the McKees Rocks Community Development Corporation, the Welcome to the Table Project, Cure Violence, ACTES, and Zellous Hope Project.
Sto-Rox is one of several communities taking part in the Allegheny County Community Violence Reduction Initiative (CVRI). Focus on Renewal is the “Community Quarterback” for the CVRI in Sto-Rox and is working with Cure Violence, Rapid Employment and Development Initiative (READI), and the Becoming a Man BAM program that runs in the Sto-Rox School District. It is part of a five-year, $50 million plan from the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) to “implement evidence-based, comprehensive and well-coordinated public health approaches to reducing community violence” in partnership with the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) Office of Violence Prevention, and the City of Pittsburgh.
LINK: Allegheny County CVRI
LINK: Focus on Renewal