The first time the picnic was held was following last year's tornado.
Signing the Mayor's Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force's banner is, from left, Ashley Joyner, of Washington, D.C., Imanni Hayes, of Springfield and Alexandria Simmons, also of Springfield.SPRINGFIELD - For the second year in a row the Mayor’s Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force came together at Forest Park to celebrate peace and neighborliness.
Gianna Allentuck, an adjustment counselor at Springfield’s Elias Brookings Magnet School, said the Violence Prevention Task Force first wanted to celebrate residents’ kindness and generosity after last year’s tornado by holding a picnic and decided to hold the event again this year.
“There is so much negative news about the city,” Allentuck said. “Forest Park is beautiful. People are doing things here that are peaceful.”
Formed 20 years ago, the Mayor’s Citywide Violence Prevention Task Force was envisioned as a collective of committed stakeholders who work collaboratively to develop solutions, interventions and prevention strategies to reduce violence in Springfield.
Earl Harrington, a member of the Violence Prevention Task Force who lives in the East Forest Park section of the city, said there are a lot of agencies working together in Springfield to help youth who are at risk.
“The city is coming back,” he said. “This a a vibrant community that provides help to people.”
Carlos Bravo, a youth worker for Roca, which provides state and federal funding for programs for at risk youth, said the programs help to save disenfranchised youths ages 17 to 24, one person at a time.
“These are kids raised by one parent, and the street raises them,” Bravo said. He said he was one of those youths, growing up in Hartford, Conn.
“We try to give youth motivation to achieve short-term goals such as going to work tomorrow so that they feel different,” Bravo said.
“We can’t save them all, but we try,” Bravo said.
Allentuck said she hoped that people from different agencies would stay and talk with each other.
Neena Grover and Linda Shippie were representing the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The foundation is sponsoring a walk to prevent suicide Sept. 30 in Springfield.
Part of the goal of the foundation is to increase education and remove the stigma around suicide. Suicide can be prevented if certain signals are not missed and help is given at the right time, Shippie said.