On April 9, 2019, Jersey City Police Department’s CHAT 4 Change Program, “Badges to Books,” paid Team Walker students a visit in the After School Program.
CHAT 4 Change stands for Conversations Help Aid Transformation. The “Badges to Books” program works to promote literacy to the children of Jersey City, in hopes to keep them off the streets. It so happens that both CHAT 4 Change and Team Walker share a similar mission and vision. These amazing officers taught Team Walker students the importance of police officers and the love of literature. The program also shows students that engagement with police officers do not have to be negative.
Officer Murrell, Officer Bobo, Officer Fernandez, Detective Browne and Detective Lamboy read to grades kindergarten through second grade. Along with reading to the students, the officers made bookmarks and hand-crafted police caps with the Team Walker students. JCPD was even generous enough to donate tons of books to our eager to learn students!