10th Annual Kids, Cops and Classrooms Campaign Collects School Supplies for Hundreds of Rhode Island Students
Colonel Ann C. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety, announces that the 10th annual Kids, Cops and Classroom campaign collected thousands of dollars’ worth of backpacks and school supplies that will help students throughout the state start the school year with the supplies they need to succeed.
Representatives from the Rhode Island State Police, Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General and the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Rhode Island, along with the campaign’s corporate sponsors, AAA Northeast, Ocean State Job Lot, Walgreen’s Pharmacy and Samsonite, held a news conference today at the Gladstone Street School in Cranston to announce the results of this year’s campaign and to distribute some of the backpacks and supplies.
The other donations will be distributed to social service agencies and community groups throughout the state, to be given to deserving families. The organizations include the African Alliance; the Center for Southeast Asians; Chad Brown Alumni Association; Children’s Friend; Crossroads Rhode Island; the Faith Based Alliance; Family Service of Rhode Island; the Hispanic Ministerial Alliance of Rhode Island; Mount Hope Neighborhood Association; Multi-Service Center for All; and Project Night Vision.
Colonel Assumpico thanked everyone who donated backpacks and supplies – from the law enforcement partners to the corporate sponsors and individual Rhode Islanders who dropped off new backpacks and supplies at State Police barracks and local police departments over the past month. “Together, we are making the first day of school a little brighter for a lot of children in our state,” she said.
“The Kids, Cops and Classrooms initiative is yet another example of federal, state and local law enforcement working together with the community to positively impact young people here in Rhode Island,” said United States Attorney Stephen G. Dambruch.
“Kids, Cops and Classrooms is a veritable illustration of how federal, state and local law enforcement, along with community leaders, can all come together to do the right thing,” said Colonel James J. Mendonca, Central Falls Police Chief and President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association. “Back to school is a very taxing time for many parents due to the ever-increasing cost of school supplies. We hope, with this collaborative effort, to furnish financial relief to as many needy families as possible while bolstering police-community relations”
Colonel Assumpicoconcluded by saying the goal of Kids, Cops and Classrooms is to help ease the financial burden many families face when it comes to providing their children with the school supplies they need. She said she also hopes the campaign sends an important message from everyone in the law enforcement community: “We care about the people of Rhode Island. We are not only here to protect you; we are here to help you and your families.”