Youth, Local Law Enforcement, Community Leaders Gather for Annual Shannon Grant Summerfest

August 5, 2024 - Local youth, community-based organization workers, law enforcement officials and Representative Jeffrey Turco joined together for this year’s Shannon Grant Summerfest in a show of solidarity to support the reduction of both youth violence and gang involvement across Metro Mayors Coalition communities.

This past Saturday, youth from Winthrop, Everett, Malden, Somerville, Revere, Cambridge, Chelsea, Quincy, and Braintree attended the 2024 Shannon Grant Summerfest at Ingleside Park in Winthrop. Youth competed in basketball, soccer, and kickball games throughout the course of the day. The event also included t-shirts, a bracelet making station, an area to play backyard games, and music provided by the Mystic Valley YMCA's mobile music studio. The event concluded with a cookout hosted by the Winthrop Police Department, and an award ceremony to celebrate the youth that displayed the best sportsmanship, and for those who were deemed each team’s MVP.

Since 2009 an annual summer event has been held to bring together youth, law enforcement, and community-based organizations involved in the Metro Mayors Shannon Grant Community Safety Initiative. This state-funded program overseen by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s (EOPSS) Office of Grants and Research (OGR) supports regional approaches to combating gang violence through law enforcement, job training, and after school programs. The event is hosted in a different community each summer and brings together more than 70 youth and local law enforcement and community organization leaders for a fun summer day of activities.

For more information on the Shannon Grant or the Metro Mayors Coalition, contact Jenifer Wallitsch at [email protected].