Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Office of the Mayor <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br />Tuesday, March 24, 2009 <br />1pm <br /> <br />Contact: <br />Mikki Dobski, Dir. of Communications & Special Projects,574- 235-5855 or 876-1564 <br /> Julie DeKeizer, Mishawaka Mayor’s Office, 574-258-160 <br /> <br /> Lynn Coleman, Assistant Mayor – South Bend, 574-235-9261 <br /> <br />“Bury a gun, not your son” <br /> <br />Community leaders from across St. Joseph County stood together today to announce the <br />2009 Gun Buy Back Program, a collaborative partnership to reduce gun violence in our <br />cities and towns. The theme for this year’s effort is “Bury a gun, not your son”. The <br />effort is again led by C.U.R.E – Community United Religious Effort with community <br />partners including the City of South Bend, City of Mishawaka, and Healthy Communities <br />Initiative. Dennis Engbrecht, of Bethel College and Keith Witherspoon, Pastor of <br />Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church are serving as Co-Chairmen of the Gun Buy Back <br />Initiative. Joining with the community partners, Mayor Jeff Rea stated, I am excited that <br />“ <br />our citizens will again have the opportunity to participate in this important community <br />activity. The Gun Buy-back program was very successful last time and exceeded our <br />expectations. Because of it, we were able to get a lot of guns off of the street, making <br />those streets safer for our citizens. We look forward to supporting this effort and doing all <br />that we can to make the streets of Mishawaka and our surrounding area safer for our <br />citizens and their families.” <br /> <br />This is the second time that C.U.R.E has sponsored the Gun Buy Back Program. The last <br />program, offered in 2007, was very successful. At that time, organizers had hoped to <br />collect 100 guns and in the end, actually gathered 256 weapons. “Based upon the success <br />of a previous Gun-Buy-Back in August of 2007, we believe that a subsequent initiative to <br />remove guns that could well end up in the wrong hands and on the streets of our <br />community can only benefit the children, young adults, and families of our <br />neighborhoods,” noted Rev. Keith Witherspoon and Dr. Dennis D. Engbrecht, CURE Co- <br />Chairpersons. “To do nothing is not an acceptable option.” <br /> <br />-more- <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />