Fort Wayne & NE Indiana News

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Government

Fort Wayne Parks And Recreation Department’s Community Unity Program Wins Out-of-School Champions Showcase

Staff representing Jennings, Cooper and Weisser Park Youth Centers traveled to the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis on April 10 to compete at the 2018 Summit on Out-of-School Learning for a $2,500 award, and won!

“Winning this award brought much joy to the entire team,” said Chantell Davis, Manager of Neighborhood Programs. “Community Unity is only a year old and seems like a small part of what we do, but the power of it for the youth we see daily, and the community we serve, is huge. We’ll use the $2,500 award to continue to grow the program.”

The Community Unity – Neighborhood Family Fun Nights program, an extension of the Partner Officer Program, was one of five finalists in the Out-of-School Champions Showcase.

Community Unity is a partnership between the Fort Wayne Police Department, Fort Wayne United and the Fort Wayne Parks and Recreation Department. The free program, which has been offered three times at each youth center, features a community dinner along with games and prizes for the kids. Most importantly, it provides a neighborhood safety forum where officers can interact with families in a relaxed, fun atmosphere while they share what they’re doing, and what families can do, to keep neighborhoods safe.

Partner Officers visit the youth centers on an ongoing basis after school. The officers help children with homework, read to them and play games. The goal of the Partner Officer Program is to form positive personal relationships with youth and their families and to encourage them to see police officers as friends and neighbors.

The next Community Unity Family Fun Night is scheduled for April 26, 6 – 8 pm at Faith United Methodist, 207 E. Dewald.