Our prevention team spends the summer visiting camps, playgrounds and youth groups, teaching young people to avoid drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors.

Jun. 20, 2019 – The summer of 2019, our Prevention Specialists offered a program that focused on kindness, encouraging kids to fill “kindness buckets” with notes about daily acts of goodwill. To heighten the stakes, we promised an end-of-summer pizza party to the group that gathered the most kindness notes and #cocakindness posts on social media. While we saw many heartening examples of kindness all summer long, West Reading Playground won the contest. But our story doesn’t end there. We were elated when the acts of kindness continued–not from the children, but from the businesses in and around West Reading.

When we approached businesses for donations for the pizza party, we were overwhelmed by their response. At first, we worried that we wouldn’t have enough pizza for the 55 children who participated in the West Reading Playground summer program. Those fears proved unfounded. We received donations of pizza, funds and ice cream from seven businesses who quickly agreed to supply all that we needed for a fun, well-deserved party to celebrate a summer full of kind acts. Special thanks to: Georgio’s Pizzeria, G.N.A Ristorante, Tony’s Al Taglio, Superior Oxygen, Sweet Ride Ice Cream, Larkin Veterinary Clinic, and The Original Mama’s Pizza & Grill in Sinking Spring.