CONTACT:
LaToya Foster (EOM) – (202) 727-5011; [email protected]
(Washington, DC) - Tomorrow, at the District’s annual “Truck Touch” at RFK Stadium, Mayor Muriel Bowser will kick off the Families, Recreation, Education/Employment, Safety and Health (FRESH) Summer initiative. FRESH Summer is an initiative to provide city-wide summer programming from June through August to ensure D.C. residents of all ages have a safe, productive, and rewarding summer.
This summer, the District is offering nine new camp offerings including coding, engineering, ballet and tai kwon do. One of the new offerings also includes a Summer Bridge program for 9th graders and a Google Maker Camp which will host approximately 1,600 participants. The District plans to have nearly 4,000 children enrolled in 86 camps and about 16,000 youth ages 14-24 will participate in the Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program. Through a host of agencies, DC government will also sponsor block parties, movie nights and a reading program in partnership with the Washington Nationals to help youth combat the “summer slide” – the loss of learning that children experience during the summer months.
On June 22, the DC Free Summer Meals Program will kick off, supporting parents and families. All kids and teens 18 years of age and younger can receive free meals at hundreds of locations across all eight wards. No questions asked. No parents required. No ID needed. Kids can walk into any open meal site and eat for free. To find a site residents can visit - dcsummermeals.dc.gov – or text “Food” to 877877 which will be available the first day of the free lunch program, June 22.
This year’s Truck Touch will feature a variety of activities for kids including basketball, skating, rock climbing and face painting. Residents are invited to climb on packer, sweeper and boom trucks; sit atop MPD’s Mounted Unit’s police horse and maneuver the levers of a police chopper; ride Segways, and test drive electric sedan vehicles. Residents will learn how potholes are repaired, sewers are vacuumed, and receive information about vital city services.
Truck Touch is coordinated by the D.C. Department of Public Works and includes vehicles from the District Departments of Public Works, Transportation, Health, Employment Services, and Parks and Recreation, as well as Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, the Metropolitan Police Department, and DC Water. Other District government agencies will also be available to share information about their services.
WHEN:
Saturday, June 6, 2015, 8 am – 1 pm
*Mayor Bowser is expected to speak at 9:45 am*
WHERE:
RFK Stadium, Lot 7
2400 East Capitol Street, NE
*Closest Metro: Stadium Armory Metro Station*
Press interested in attending the event are asked to RSVP to [email protected].
Social Media:
Mayor Bowser Twitter: @MayorBowser
Mayor Bowser Facebook: facebook.com/MayorMurielBowser
Mayor Bowser Website: mayor.dc.gov