MEDIA ADVISORY:  “Saving the Neighborhood - One Block At A Time”

WHO:       State Senator Vincent Hughes, Councilman Curtis Jones, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, Philadelphia Safety Net Executive Director, Ray Jones,  103.9 radio personality, E. Steven Collins, Jeff Brown from Brown Family ShopRite and Wrenten Wright from Pepsi.

WHAT:     News Conference

WHEN:     10:00 A.M. Thursday, June 26, 2008.

WHERE:   Tustin Playground, 5901 West Columbia Avenue, directly across from Overbrook High School.

DETAILS: State Sen. Vincent Hughes, in collaboration with Philadelphia Safety Net, and the Philadelphia Police Department, will announce the continuation of the “Goods for Guns Program,” offering a $100.00 voucher (redeemable at Forman Mills and ShopRite) for citizens dropping off guns at Tustin Playground Saturday, June 28 beginning at 10 a.m. located at 5901 West Columbia Avenue.  Good corporate citizens ShopRite and Forman Mills will each provide $50 vouchers redeemable at their respective stores across Philadelphia.  All firearms will be accepted “with no questions asked” from law officials about the background or history of the firearms. 

            The “Goods For Guns Program” was originally conceived as a demonstration project last year through the efforts of Sen. Hughes, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown and U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah.  The “Goods For Guns Program,” formerly institutionalized under the guidance of Philadelphia Safety Net, will broaden the program’s impact through the following additional projects:   

·         Goods/Groceries for Gun program (scheduled turn-in events throughout the year)

·         Gun safety tips and education (coordinating workshops/with police in neighborhoods and schools).

·         Informational outreach to populations most at risk for gun violence; ex-offenders and people currently on probation and parole.