NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle’s Mentors in Blue Program hosted a Field Day/BBQ event at D’Onofrio Park on July 11, 2018, drawing over 70 participants from the New Rochelle Police Department, Youth Bureau, North Ave Outreach program, Municipal Housing Authority along with New Rochelle middle and high school students.
Four mixed teams competed in a unique series of field day activities, allowing the youth and staff to interact, engage and explore new ways to build positive relationships. They also sat back and enjoyed conversation over hamburgers and hotdogs from Joey’s Deli.
“We brought back old-school field day events like tug of war, potato sack races, steal the bacon,” said Youth Bureau Executive Director Kelly Johnson. “The camaraderie among the teams and support they showed to each other was tremendous– it was a win-win day for everyone!”
“It was great to show the kids that officers can be just as fun and down-to-earth as they are,” said Youth Bureau Program Coordinator and retired NRPD Detective Brianne Smith.
This is the fourth event for the Mentors in Blue program, established in February 2018 as a collaboration of the New Rochelle Youth Bureau, The New Rochelle Police Department and our local youth, it is also founded by the New Rochelle Police Foundation. Last month, they hosted their 1st annual “Dinner with Our Finest” event at Patsy’s Pizzeria.
Interested in participating in the Mentors in Blue Program? Contact Youth Bureau Program Coordinator Brianne Smith at Bsmith@NewRochelleNY.com