Peace Walk and Community Coalition Kick-Off Held on September 24

On Tuesday, September 24, community members gathered with students and staff from Sto-Rox School District, members of local organizations, local politicians, business owners, service providers, and local law enforcement for a Peace Walk and Community Coalition Kick-Off.

The Peace Walk began at the Stowe Township Building. Members of CURE Violence displaying bright signs led an estimated 50 community members and students almost one mile from the Stowe Township Building on Broadway to the Community Coalition Kick-Off Celebration at Focus On Renewal’s Father Ryan Arts Center on lower Chartiers Avenue in McKees Rocks.  CURE Violence is the section of the Community Violence Reduction Initiative known for their “boots on the ground” approach to not only detect and interrupt potentially violent situations, but also to identify and change the thinking of those most likely to engage in violence.  Representatives from the Sto-Rox School District, Focus On Renewal, Zellous Hope, the McKees Rocks CDC, and McKees Rocks Mayor, David Flick also participated in the Peace Walk.

At the Father Ryan Arts Center, the Coalition Kick-Off included games and food courtesy of Sto-Rox School District.  Focus On Renewal’s Manager of the Community Violence Reduction Iniatives, Brett Douthett, began the program by recounting progress made by violence reduction initiatives thus far.  He also discussed the need for citizens to be involved in the next phases of the efforts by joining the Community Coalition.  Roughly 100 attendees including members of the newly launched A-Team, representatives from Welcome To The Table Project, State Representative Anita Kulik, and Father Regis Ryan heard inspiring messages from guest speakers McKees Rocks Mayor, David Flick, students from Sto-Rox High School, and Ed Pierce, Sto-Rox School District Community Parent Liaison.  Brett Douthett ended the kick-off with a call to action and invitation for all to attend the first official meeting of the Community Coalition scheduled for Wednesday, October 23 at Focus On Renewal’s Father Ryan Arts Center.