Mayor Terry McDonald, Karie Gregory, Angela McVay, Jeremy Screeton, Police Chief Stephan Poiry, and Jenny Blackburn
By Beth Stauffer
The City of New Haven and the New Haven Police Department recently recognized the Fort Wayne area Target Stores for their volunteer efforts in conjunction with the police department’s annual National Night Out event which was held this year on Tuesday, August 5th, 2014.
Mayor Terry McDonald, Police Chief Stephan Poiry, and Administrative Assistant for the Police Department Jenny Blackburn represented the City of New Haven at the presentation; Jeremy Screeton represented Target Store 1933 on Stellhorn Road, Karie Gregory represented Target Store 2217 on Coldwater Road, and Angela McVay represented Target Store 2440 on South Thomas Road was Angela McVay.
“We certainly appreciate the outstanding volunteerism and teamwork of our friends at Target,” said Mayor McDonald of Target’s 2nd year in partnership with the National Night Out program in New Haven. “Their support makes the evening considerably more enjoyable for everyone in attendance.”
Police Chief Poiry agreed, saying “In years past, Mayor McDonald and I would be so busy serving hot dogs and running things behind the scenes that we would be unable to mingle with the residents during the Night Out. Thanks to Target’s volunteers, now we are able to take the time to talk with the residents who come down to the Night Out, which is nice.”
According to Karie Gregory of the Target on Coldwater Road, she and her co-workers enjoy getting out into the community and giving back. Volunteers from the three Target stores in the Fort Wayne area have logged a cumulative total of over 150 hours of volunteerism at the National Night Out and Gregory says they look forward to adding to that total in years to come.
Jenny Blackburn, who helped coordinate the event for the city, said, “I am so impressed with the Target’s corporate culture of volunteerism. Rarely do you find a company that so encourages and is excited about volunteering. We are very thankful to have found Target as a partner for National Night Out in New Haven.”
The 2014 National Night Out held in Schnelker Park marked the 31st year for the event and more than 35 million people nationwide participated in the event on Tuesday, August 5th. When the National Night Out began more than 30 years ago, the purpose of the program was relatively simple: to provide neighborhoods with basic information about crime prevention and ask residents to leave their porch lights on to signify their support of the program.
Since 1994, the program has grown and expanded to address the needs of a changing demographic. The National Night Out now serves to enhance police-community relationships while continuing its original mission of offering the public information and tips about how to prevent crime in their communities.
In addition to Target, 10 other businesses and organizations provided sponsorships to the 2014 National Night Out in New Haven, including Peg Perego, Rack & Helen’s, New Haven Kroger, Allen County SafeKids, Fort Wayne TinCaps, New Haven Dominos, Pop Up Party Rentals, New Haven Chamber of Commerce, New Haven Parks & Recreation Department, and New Haven Walgreens.
