The Chester Chaplains hosted Chester youth with a Safe Summer event at Uno’s Pizzeria on Wednesday evening, June 22nd. The event, geared towards creating an environment of safety during the summer break, allowed youth to interact with police officers on a one to one basis and increased knowledge about the Covid-19 virus, the importance of vaccination, mask-wearing, and how essential parental guidance and controls are in the age of social media.
Uno’s Pizzeria hosted the event in the community room, and they ensured that all CDC guidelines were followed. Chaplain President, Reverend Dr. Lisa Dennis, served as emcee. Dennis reminded the children of their responsibility to be observant, ask questions, and always communicate any suspicious activity or uncertainty to parents, police, or another responsible adult. Other Chaplains in attendance supporting and encouraging our youth to have a safe summer were: Chaplains, H. Campbell, S. Diggs, R. Bradley, K. Gibson, and S. Abdul-Ali. Community volunteer Ms. Cyrise Dixon was also in attendance supporting Safe Summer 2021.
Police Officers, J. Jones, D. Jones (no relation), T. Taylor, and A. Cottrell stressed the importance of parents knowing where your children are at all times, what they’re doing, who they’re doing it with, who their friends are, who their friend’s parents are. They strongly suggest that parents introduce themselves, get phone numbers, and check in with the other parents from time to time. Parents should also not feel as if they’re invading the privacy of any child who resides in their home, particularly with minor children. They strongly advised parents to know what apps are on their children’s phones and what websites they access.
Chaplain Rosetta Carter was on hand to tell the children about Covid-19, testing, and vaccine efforts. Ms. Carter has been at the forefront of Chester’s Covid-19 response team and has worked tirelessly to ensure that the residents of this community got testing and vaccines. She continues in those efforts.
The attendees were asked to support Safe Summer 2021 by signing the Safe Summer‘s Pledge.
By signing this pledge, children resolved to:
Find peaceful solutions,
Stay clear of hate,
Stand up for friends in trouble,
Set goals for the future and make decisions on how to achieve them, and Avoid situations that don’t support those goals,
Not to steal,
Respect the property of others,
Remain drug and alcohol-free, and
Follow health and safety guidelines issued by Chester City and CDC guidelines.
After the presentation and Summer Pledge signatures, the families snacked on wings, pizza, and each family selected a board game to help pass the lazy, hazy days of summer.
Sponsorship for this event was provided by Chester Police Chaplains Corps, Chester Police Department, Holcombe Behavioral Health Systems (COPE), UNO’s Pizza Grill, Chester, and Kingdom Culture Church Chester.
