MEDIA ADVISORY: 3rd Annual San Diego Unified School Police “True Blue Buddies” Yearlong Mentorship Program Kicks-Off with Back-to-School Shopping Spree

MEDIA ADVISORY
August 22, 2017

3rd Annual San Diego Unified School Police "True Blue Buddies" Yearlong Mentorship Program Kicks-Off with Back-to-School Shopping Spree

WHAT: The third annual San Diego Unified School District Police Department "True Blue Buddies" event will pair 30 deserving students from Dewey Elementary School with San Diego Unified School Police Officers for a $100 back-to-school shopping spree at Target.

WHEN: Thursday, August 24, 2017, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

WHERE: Dewey Elementary School, 3251 Rosecrans St, San Diego (92110)
Target, 3245 Sports Arena Blvd, San Diego (92110)

DETAILS: Third-through fifth-grade students from Dewey Elementary will receive a $100 gift card to spend on school supplies, new clothes and shoes courtesy of Target, as well as a brand new backpack courtesy of San Diego Unified to ensure that they will start the new school year ready to learn on school Monday, Aug. 28, 2017.

Each student will be partnered with a member of the San Diego Unified School Police Department. Participants were selected based on need, and include students from low-income families, military families and homeless families. The event is being supported by the district's Children and Youth in Transition program, San Diego Unified School Police and the Sports Arena Target store team.

The Back-to-School shopping spree serves as the kick-off event to a yearlong mentorship program that includes various events over the school year, including educational workshops and holiday gatherings. The primary goal of the mentorship program is to provide support through small group mentoring, as well as to help facilitate and build positive relationships with Police Officers at an early age.

San Diego Unified has always been focused on giving our students the tools to get involved and make a positive change in the world – in their classroom, on the playground, in the cafeteria, school-wide, in the community and beyond! Programs like this encourage our students to make good choices every day and have positive relationships with their teachers, parents, school police and the community as a whole. San Diego Unified is proud to support the "True Blue Buddies" program for the third year in a row. Showing our students that they have the encouragement and support of their entire community can have a huge positive impact on them becoming successful contributors of society.

SPEAKERS: San Diego School Police Chief Michael Marquez, Dewey Elementary School Principal, Target Community Outreach Representative, San Diego Unified Military School Liaison, San Diego School Police Officers and Dewey Elementary Students will also be available for interview.

VISUALS/SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
9:00 a.m. Students at Dewey Elementary meet and pair up with police
9:45 a.m. Students, police and teachers will board bus and head to Target
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Shopping at the Sports Arena Target store
11:30 a.m. Return to Dewey Elementary
12:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Free BBQ lunch for the entire community

PLEASE CONFIRM COVERAGE PRIOR TO ATTENDING EVENT

Media Inquiries: Isabella McNeil, San Diego Unified School District, 619-341-2343 Imcneil@Sandi.net<mailto:Imcneil@Sandi.net>

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