Kids, Cops & Classrooms - August 2009

 

The Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association and the Rhode Island State Police hosted a press conference, “Kids, Cops, & Classrooms” on Thursday, August 27, 2009, 3:00 p.m., at the State House, Providence, Rhode Island. Chief George L. Kelley, III, of the Pawtucket Police Department and President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association; Colonel Brendan P. Doherty, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; members of the Rhode Island Troopers' Association; representatives of W.B. Mason Company; and Anne Nolan, President of Crossroads Rhode Island were in attendance.

The Rhode Island Police Chiefs' Association, the Rhode Island State Police, the Rhode Island Troopers' Association, the Governor's Office, W.B. Mason Company, and law enforcement officers throughout the state, donated backpacks and school supplies for the homeless families of Crossroads Rhode Island. The school supplies are for students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Crossroads Rhode Island, formerly Travelers Aid of Rhode Island, is the State's largest provider of services to the homeless. They provide assistance 24-hours-a-day, seven days a week, for a broad spectrum of Rhode Islanders. They work to solve both the immediate and long-term needs of people in desperate situations, and are committed to preserving individual dignity and respect for all people, at all times.

A goal of “Kids, Cops, & Classrooms” is to help relieve the burden parents experience when they prepare their children to return to school. Due to budgetary restrictions in the state's cities and towns, families are being asked to provide more of their own school supplies as well as other supplies for use by the entire class, such as tissues, paper towels, and hand sanitizer. Another goal of this event is to show children that police officers are their friends and are in the community to help them.

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