Milwaukee Police Department Receives Over 200 REACH-A-Child™ First Responder Bags, Thanks to $11,000 Grant from AT&T Foundation

MILWAUKEE, WI, July 19, 2022 — The Milwaukee Police Department received 204 first responder bags today to help children deal with crisis situations as part of the REACH-A-Child™ program, thanks to a $11,000 grant from the AT&T Foundation.

The program provides local sheriffs, police, EMTs and fire departments with First Responder REACH BAGs that contain a variety of children’s books that are given to children at the scene of an accident, house fire or other emergency. The goal is to redirect the children’s attention from the crisis at hand, allowing them to experience an educational escape from their fears.

The Milwaukee Police Department also received 1,000 extra new children’s books to help replenish REACH BAGs and to support upcoming community events hosted by the Police Department.

“When children are facing a crisis situation like a car accident or domestic disturbance, our mission is to help first responders engage them in a positive way through the power of a book,” said Curtis Fuszard, Executive Director of REACH-A-Child. “Thanks to the generous donation from the AT&T Foundation, we are able to provide the Milwaukee Police Department with REACH BAGs that first responders can use to help comfort children in need.”

Each First Responder REACH BAG contains a variety of children’s books (total of 15 books) and 10 drawstring backpacks that are given to children, one book and bag at a time, at the scene of an accident, fire or other crisis.

“Investing in our children is a key component to building a better future for our community. Thanks to the generous donation from the AT&T Foundation, we will be able to bring comfort to children during stressful and traumatic situations,” said Chief Jeffrey Norman of the Milwaukee Police Department. “The Milwaukee Police Department appreciates the support from REACH-A-Child for giving us the opportunity to participate in this program. We are committed to working with our system and community partners to build sustainable neighborhoods free of crime that are built on positive relationships. We are better together.”

Since 2014, AT&T and the AT&T Foundation have contributed $57,500 to support REACH-A-Child.

“REACH-A-Child is a wonderful organization that is helping first responders comfort children who are often dealing with very stressful and traumatic situations,” said Paul Weirtz, president of AT&T Wisconsin. “We are proud to support this nonprofit’s mission to comfort children in crisis, and we are happy we can help provide over 200 REACH bags to the Milwaukee Police Department.”

REACH-A-Child is a Madison-based nonprofit that partners with first responders in many communities across the state. Its mission is to provide first responders with REACH BAGs filled with books and drawstring backpacks to help comfort children in crisis. To learn more, please visit: http://reachachild.org/. 

The $11,000 AT&T Foundation grant is part of AT&T’s philanthropic giving efforts to support our local communities. We invest our company’s resources and knowledge to advance access to education and training, improve lives, and strengthen the communities in which we live and work.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.