NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
30 October 2002

BICYCLE HELMET AND TEDDY BEAR DONATIONS ENHANCE CITY POLICE COMMUNITY RELATIONS EFFORTS

Harrisburg, PA—Donations from Giant Foods, Hershey Medical Center and the Central Pennsylvania Kappa Delta Sorority Alumnae Association will enhance community relations between police and city youth, Mayor Stephen R. Reed today noted during a special presentation of new bicycle helmets and Teddy bears collected by the midstate companies and organizations.

Reed said the efforts involve the donation of 300 new bicycle helmets by Giant Foods and Hershey Medical Center, which will be distributed free of charge by city police officers to city youth encountered riding bicycles without helmets.

Police will also distribute more than 300 new and previously-loved Teddy Bears to young children present at crime scenes and other public safety incidents.

The bears were donated by the Central Pennsylvania Kappa Delta Sorority Association as a result of their recent Tenth Annual Teddy Bear Jamboree, which provides the bears to police agencies throughout the midstate.

Mayor Reed lauded the efforts of both groups: “We are delighted to receive these generous donations and extend our appreciation to Giant Foods, Hershey Medical Center and the Kappa Delta Sorority Alumni Association for their good efforts on behalf of our children and our police.”

The Mayor said the bicycle helmets were provided by Giant Foods and Hershey Medical Center as a public health and safety initiative, aimed at reducing the number of head injuries sustained by young cyclists. Bicycle accident-induced head trauma are one of the leading preventable youth injuries, and can be substantially reduced by simply wearing one of the lightweight helmets.

Reed said the teddy bears are also an important element of city police community relations efforts, helping to calm children at crime scenes and instilling a sense of trust between them and responding police officers at what can be very stressful situations.

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