The Westbury/New Cassel community will unite against crime this Tuesday during the annual National Night Out (NNO), an event designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness.
This year marks the 22nd year New Cassel will celebrate NNO, thanks to the efforts of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center, the Town of North Hempstead and the New Cassel/Westbury Community-Wide Partnership.
“It’s an opportunity to bring awareness about crime prevention to the community. The purpose is to bring the community together to take a stand against crime and negative behaviors. It’s a show of unity,” said Dr. Nellie Taylor-Walthrust, Director of North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center’s Westbury location The Leeds Place. “It’s geared toward families to come out and show their support and show they are proud of their community and that they are working together to improve the quality of life for everyone.”
The festivities start Tuesday, Aug. 5 at 5:15 p.m. with a parade down Prospect Ave., which starts at the Salvation Army between Brooklyn and New York Avenues. The parade route will go down Urban and Broadway to lead into Bunky Reid Park.
Starting at 6 p.m. at the park, attendees can enjoy music, sports, healthcare service providers, crime prevention information, educational resources, cultural entertainment, raffles, refreshments and giveaways. Everything is free.
This year’s theme is “Parents Help Children Grow.” Co-chair Robin Bolling says she’s expecting this year’s event to be the biggest yet, partly because of the increase in violence committed against Westbury/New Cassel youth.
“A lot of things have been happening as far as violence pertaining to our youth. We need to make parents aware they need to be involved,” says Bolling. “If you have kids involved in activities, they’re more actively involved in that rather than places where there’s gun violence.”
Hosting NNO each year brings awareness that deterring crime is something that has to be done on a consistent basis, says Bolling.
“The goal a lot of different organizations have is to make the community safer and a place where people are comfortable. Different organizations can keep the [momentum] going and do workshops and other things in the community. If all the organizations get involved, it shows consistency and continues the conversations,” says Bolling. “Everybody needs to be on the same page, not just a handful of neighbors.”
Nationally, NNO is celebrating it’s 31st year. The event is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in local anti-crime initiatives; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send the message that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.
For more information, contact Nellie Taylor-Walthrust by email at ntaylorwalthrust@northshorechildguidance.org. or by calling 516-997-2926 x 229.
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