For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

*Media Advisory* 

P.A.A.R.I to Host Celebration and Graduation for Inaugural Class of AmeriCorps Members

BOSTON — Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade is pleased to announce that the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (P.A.A.R.I) will host a graduation ceremony for its first class of AmeriCorps members.

WHEN: 

Thursday, Aug. 23, from 2-5 p.m. (program begins at 3 p.m.)

WHERE: 

Arlington Police Department, 112 Mystic St.

WHO: 

• Law enforcement leaders from several participating agencies, including Arlington, Burlington, East Bridgewater, Methuen, Norwood, Plymouth, Lynn, and the Essex County Sheriff’s Department
• 22 AmeriCorps members serving a total of 55 communities

WHAT:

P.A.A.R.I will honor the first class of AmeriCorps members to serve in the groundbreaking program that allowed them to serve as resources for police departments supporting recovery initiatives in their communities.

Through hands-on engagement with members of the communities they serve, the first class of AmeriCorps members have been able to work with more than 4,000 individuals who have been directly impacted by the disease of addiction.

“The AmeriCorps members who have served through the first year of this groundbreaking program have made a tangible impact in the fight against addiction,” Hunter McDade said. “Their collective year of service has been invaluable, and will have a lasting and meaningful effect on those they’ve touched.”

AmeriCorps members will be celebrated for their successful service to numerous police departments, as the first year of the P.A.A.R.I AmeriCorps program draws to a close. In addition, one law enforcement partner and two AmeriCorps members who exemplified the commitment to service will be recognized with P.A.A.R.I Excellence Awards.

“We’re honored to host this event and formally recognize the AmeriCorps members who have helped this program launch so successfully,” Arlington Police Chief and P.A.A.R.I Co-Chairman Frederick Ryan said. “This partnership with P.A.A.R.I, AmeriCorps and the Massachusetts Service Alliance has given law enforcement a new and unique resource in the fight against opioid addiction.”

The inaugural cohort of P.A.A.R.I AmeriCorps members served 55 police departments in eastern Massachusetts. The program will enter its second year this fall.

The graduation ceremony is free and open to the public. Though not required, advance RSVP to jackieamericorps@paariusa.org is encouraged.

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