The people have spoken

NEWS

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Nov. 5, 2009

Runaways and other children and teens in crisis have somewhere to turn that is just a text away.

In Washington, D.C., Oct. 15, National Safe Place launched Txt 4 Help, a 24-hour safety program that connects youths with a Safe Place in their area. By texting the word "SAFE" and their location to 69866, youths will receive an address for the closest Safe Place site and a contact number for a nearby youth shelter.

Of the nearly 17,000 locations nationwide, three are local: Wal-Mart, 1601 S. Columbus Blvd.; the Ford PAL Center, 631 Snyder Ave.; and the Michele Cutner PAL Center, 20th and Catharine streets.

Each year, an estimated two million youths run away, according to National Safe Place of Louisville, Ky. Most leave home to escape a problem they cannot solve, such as abuse, according to 2006 Department of Justice statistics.

Last year, 8,042 kids received help at a Safe Place site and another 8,499 contacted a Safe Place site or shelter after learning about the program through school or community education.

No shushing

Books Aloud!, a free program for adults interested in early literacy and sharing books with children, will hold a workshop in vocabulary development at the South Philadelphia Branch of the Free Library, 1700 S. Broad St., 6:30 p.m. Nov. 10. Participants will receive a free book and information about the topic.

Reserve a spot by calling 215-686-5372 at least 24 hours in advance of the start time.

Weekend scenes

Saturday was one crazy night at the sports complex with Game 4 of the World Series and the final concert at the now-shuttered Wachovia Spectrum. Sunday was singing and acting legend Mario Lanza's 50th anniversary commemoration event at the Center City Doubletree Hotel.

To see video of each event, visit www.southphillyreview.com/video.php.

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