The La Crosse Police Department has received 25 first responder bags to help children deal with crisis situations as part of the REACH-A-Child™ program, thanks to a $7,500 grant from the AT&T Foundation and a $1,500 contribution from Kwik Trip.
The program provides local sheriffs, police, EMTs and fire departments with First Responder REACH BAGs that contain a variety of children’s books that are given to children at the scene of an accident, house fire or other emergency. The goal is to redirect the children’s attention from the crisis at hand, allowing them to experience an educational escape from their fears.
The La Crosse Police Department also received 250 new children’s books to help replenish REACH BAGs and to support upcoming community events hosted by the Police Department.
“When children are facing a crisis situation like a car accident or domestic disturbance, our mission is to help first responders engage them in a positive way through the power of a book,” said Curtis Fuszard, Executive Director of REACH-A-Child. “Thanks to generous donations from the AT&T Foundation and Kwik Trip, we are able to provide the La Crosse Police Department with REACH BAGs that first responders can use to help comfort children in need.”
Each First Responder REACH BAG contains a variety of children’s books (total of 15 books) and 15 drawstring backpacks that are given to children, one book and bag at a time, at the scene of an accident, fire or other crisis.
Since 2014, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have contributed $46,500 to support REACH-A-Child.
REACH-A-Child is a Madison-based nonprofit that partners with first responders in many communities across the state. Its mission is to provide first responders with REACH BAGs filled with books and drawstring backpacks to help comfort children in crisis. To learn more, please visit: http://reachachild.org/.
The $7,500 AT&T Foundation grant is part of AT&T’s philanthropic giving efforts to support our local communities. We invest our company’s resources and knowledge to advance access to education and training, improve lives, and strengthen the communities in which we live and work.
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