This summer, youth in Millville will have access to free, fun activities each week, thanks to an initiative sponsored by the Holly City Development Corporation and the City of Millville and coordinated by the Cumberland County Positive Youth Development Coalition (CCPYDC), a juvenile delinquency prevention effort funded by the NJ Attorney General’s Office and Cumberland County Freeholders. Play Streets involves closing a city street so that local youth are able to congregate for games and activities. While this idea originated in New York City in 1914, it is the first of its kind in the area. “The Play Streets initiative is not only a strategy to promote physical activity and provide high quality space for children to interact socially, but also a great way for residents and community organizations to get involved in their neighborhood,” says Heather Santoro, Business Administrator for the Millville Housing Authority and co-chair of the CCPYDC Millville Breakout Group.
Play Streets sessions will take place every Wednesday from July 13th – August 17th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm on Pine Street between 2nd Street and 3rd Street. Free food and bottled water will be provided at each session, and activities will include sports, art, face painting, sidewalk chalk, and a dunk tank.
Themes and CCPYDC partner agencies facilitating each session are as follows:
- July 13 – Fitness and Health (Millville Police Department)
- July 20 – Art and Culture (Millville Public Library)
- July 27 – Carnival (Holly City Family Success Center)
- August 3 – Fun in the Sun (Glasstown Church)
- August 10 – Public Safety (Millville Police Department)
- August 17 – Back to School (Millville Senior High School and First United Methodist Church)
Play Streets hopes to engage youth from 6 to 14 years of age, but all youth are welcome.