FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 29, 2021
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Adriana Rodriguez
646-241-9805
arodriguez@desalesmedia.org
John Quaglione
718-576-9180
jquaglione@desalesmedia.org
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
ST. MARGARET CATHOLIC ACADEMY AND KIDS BACKING THE BLUE TO REMEMBER FALLEN OFFICERS
St. Margaret Catholic Academy and “Kids Backing The Blue” will host a May Remembrance Prayer Ceremony to honor the families of NYPD fallen officers, as well as from the Newark and Paterson Police Departments, this Saturday, May 1, 2021, at 10:00 a.m. outside the school located at 66-10 80th Street in Middle Village, Queens.
At the event, comfort packages will be presented to representatives of the police agencies. The baskets will include:
*Stuffed animals sponsored by the NYPD
*Memorial jewelry keepsakes sponsored by Glimmer of Stone
*Children’s Books: “Forever My Daddy My Hero” and “Forever My Mommy My Hero”
*Memorial keepsakes for surviving spouses and older children
*Dolls resembling the fallen hero parents sponsored by Hearts and Heroes U.S. (included in some of the comfort packages)
The school dedicated a dress-down day fundraiser in March to provide care packages for 21 families of fallen officers nationwide, including six NYPD officers killed in the line of duty and two from related illnesses.
The officers to be remembered include NYPD Chief of Transportation William Morris, Inspector Justin Lenz, Deputy Inspector Denis Mullaney, Detective Peter Gianfrancesco, and Police Officers Terence Connelly, Michael Geraldi, Angel Santiago, and Anastasios Tsakos.
City Councilman Robert Holden and Chief Jeffrey B. Maddrey of the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau are planning to attend the event. Kids Backing The Blue will present flags and Heavenly morning glory seeds to the school to plant as a thank you for their efforts.
Kids Backing The Blue, which supports all first responders, was founded in June 2020. KBTB sponsors other programs including a Bullying Awareness & Prevention Course for children of the fallen officers, a Pen Pal program matching children of fallen officers similar in age, and a “We Support You” program where volunteers send cards, letters, and pictures to police departments throughout the United States. For more information, visit their website at www.kidsbackingtheblue.com or find them on Facebook and Instagram.
Members of the media are encouraged to attend.
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