Boys & Girls Club, alongside community agencies and law enforcement celebrate National

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Nashua, NH – Lights flashing. Sirens blaring. Police and fire personnel on the street.  The laughter of parents and children playing together. It was not your typical Tuesday night outside the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua at 47 Grand Avenue. More than 300 youth, parents, and community representatives were on hand to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Sponsored nationally by the National Association of Town Watch and Target Stores, National Night Out is a unique crime and drug prevention event designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, generate support for and participation in local anti-crime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

– Lights flashing. Sirens blaring. Police and fire personnel on the street.The laughter of parents and children playing together. It was not your typical Tuesday night outside the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua at . More than 300 youth, parents, and community representatives were on hand to celebrate the 25 anniversary of National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5, 2008. Sponsored nationally by the National Association of Town Watch and Target Stores, National Night Out is a unique crime and drug prevention event designed to heighten

 

This year, youth were able to interact with police officers and the tools that they use to solve crimes and protect Nashua’s citizens. Kelvin B., 11, noted that “sitting in the police cruiser was great. I was able to touch some of the tools that the police use to do their job”. Police officers were on hand to allow youth and their families the chance to see and touch police vehicles, including a cruiser, motorcycle, as well as the police bicycle unit. Kandyce D., age 8, really liked the police cruiser. “It was fun being able to sit in the front seat and turn on the lights. I want to be a police officer when I grow up because I think that it would be neat to pull someone over”. Families were able to access a fire engine and ladder truck, courtesy of the Nashua Fire Department. These hands-on activities of the emergency vehicles helped those participating to gain a greater appreciation of what police and fire personnel use to do their jobs every day.

 

The free event sponsored locally by the Boys & Girls Club, Nashua Police Department, Police Athletic League, and Target Stores offered a number of activities for the families, including bounce houses, carnival games, board games, saltine and wing-eating contests sponsored by 6|0|3, and other activities. Those attending were able to participate in activities or receive items donated and/or sponsored by Target, Marguerite’s Place, the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, and the Tree Street Crime Watch. Families were also asked to sign a mural representing their commitment to helping to keep their neighborhoods positive and strong. Travis D., age 10, said, “It’s nice that the community can come together like this. It’s nice that the police and fire personnel are around to help us have a great community and we can have an event where we can meet with them and have a great time.”

 

Also, highlighted at the event were a number of Boys & Girls Club programs that are committed to crime prevention: targeted outreach, which encourages youth to participate in positive programs and activities that help dissuade them from becoming involved in risky behaviors; Healthy Choices Healthy Children, a character-building education program introduced by Cal Ripkin, Sr. Foundation, which provides youth with tools to help them make positive, healthy decisions, leading towards a successful and fulfilling life; Bullying Hurts, which is a community service program that focuses on positive youth development and prevention of the antisocial behavior of bullying in schools and communities, and lastly, Immersion Presents, a science-based program, run with support from the Nashua Police Department, that focuses on the world of underwater volcanoes, deep-sea life, the lost remains of the Titanic, and the newest addition to the series – Monterey Bay. Members were able to participate in three activities from the Immersion Presents curriculum during the National Night Out event. Regarding the National Night Out event, Chief of Police, Don Conley, noted that this event “is good for the community and for all those who participated. It is also very important for the Boys & Girls Club to be sponsoring this event, since the club really is a valuable community resource”.

 Besides meeting with the Chief, Nashua families were able to visit with Mayor Donnalee Lozeau, Captain Peter Siegel, Shag the Nashua Pride Mascot, and several uniformed officers, including Officer Todd Moriarty and his K-9 Officer, Ronnie. The night ended with families coming together for a number of raffle prizes including back to school supplies, bike and skateboard helmets courtesy of the Police Athletic League, gift cards, and a boys and girls bike with locks, donated by Target.

Next year’s National Night Out event is scheduled to be held Tuesday, August 4, 2009.

Posted August 11, 2008.