Anaheim Police Department Safe School’s Investigator Ed Arevalo, Paul Revere Elementary School Assistant Principal Andrew Klinkenberg, Parent Greeter Yesica Camacho
ANAHEIM PARENTS HONORED FOR PROTECTING AND ADVOCATING FOR STUDENTS DURING ANAHEIM G.R.I.P. GREETER APPRECIATION EVENT
The Anaheim Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership (G.R.I.P.) Committee including Community Service Programs and the Anaheim Police Department Honor G.R.I.P. Parent Greeters
Anaheim, Calif. (May 15, 2015) – Community Service Programs (CSP), a nonprofit organization committed to providing high-quality counseling and support services to struggling OC children and families at their greatest time of need, came together with the Anaheim Police Department (APD) through the Anaheim Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership (G.R.I.P.) to host the Greeter Appreciation Event on Thursday, May 14 at the Anaheim Hills Golf Course, to acknowledge 85 Parent Greeters with certificates for their volunteerism in keeping students safe from gang activity. These parents have assisted in protecting and greeting students on campus, before and after school throughout the school year, as part of the Anaheim G.R.I.P. Parent Greeter Program, which was implemented in an effort to welcome students to campus, and, as a team, to show the community and local gang members that bullying and gang behavior will be reported and is not tolerated on campuses. These 85 Parent Greeters participated in the program for a minimum of twice per month for the entire school year and received certificates and acknowledgement of their efforts from the G.R.I.P. committee, including command staff of the APD.
Anaheim Police Department Youth Services Sergeant Ed De Leon with Patrick Henry Elementary School Parent Greeter Gloria Penilla
Twelve Anaheim elementary and middle schools participate in this program, including Lincoln Elementary, Palm Lane Elementary, Twila Reid Elementary, Patrick Henry Elementary, Paul Revere Elementary, Ponderosa Elementary, Edison Elementary, Danbrook Elementary, Ball Junior High, Orangeview Junior High, South Junior High and Sycamore Junior High Schools.
“We are deeply thankful to the devoted parents who are willing to dedicate their time to help prevent gang activity and bullying through the Anaheim G.R.I.P. Parent Greeter Program,” said Hether Benjamin, LMFT, director of Youth Development Programs for Community Service Programs. “With their help, the community is a safer place for our children.”
Nonprofit Community Service Programs (CSP) partners with law enforcement agencies to assist in the implementation of the Gang Reduction Intervention Partnership (G.R.I.P.) at numerous school districts within Orange County, including the Anaheim Police Department for the Anaheim G.R.I.P. program, with the overall goal of implementing targeted gang prevention strategies to at-risk youth, families and communities. The Anaheim G.R.I.P. program has proven to be successful, including with the Orange County Grand Jury recognizing the program as one of the most effective gang prevention programs in the state of California and recommended that the G.R.I.P. model be expanded throughout Orange County.
Bertha Sandoval, Yadira Acosta, Ponderosa Elementary School Community Liaison Maria Gamboa, Rosalia Mora, Elena Narez, Community Service Programs (CSP) G.R.I.P. Case Manager Carmela Mendoza, Arely Devora, Estela Garcia, Alejandra De Rosas, Clara Parra, Gabriela Estrella and Maria Lopez
The G.R.I.P. program invites and inspires parents to join a neighborhood watch and greeter program. This presence deters gang influence and dramatically reduces crime. The Parent Greeter Program provides families and communities with an effective and peaceful way to reduce gang influence. By uniting citizens and law enforcement agencies, this component sends a clear and powerful message to gang members in surrounding areas.
CSP provides case management services to this law-enforcement led partnership in Anaheim, whose mission is to implement an evidence-based, collaborative approach to gang prevention, education, community building, and intervention and suppression activities to children and their families, who are at risk of gang involvement, truancy, school dropout and juvenile delinquency. CSP provides school-based violence reduction programming and community safety training that encourages character and leadership development and engages parents to access resources to overcome barriers, gang reduction, establishing communication networks with other parents, the school and the police.
The program framework is simple: work with law enforcement to educate students that a way of life other than gang involvement and juvenile delinquency is available to them.
About Community Service Programs
Community Service Programs (CSP) is a nonprofit agency committed to serving children, adults and families living in Orange County. CSP’s model programs assist over 100,000 community members annually, including abused children, struggling families, victims of crime, and those in need of mediation services. For more information on CSP and its programs, visit www.cspinc.org.
###