Community Peace Patrol Officers
-New York City-
Organization History
Adopt-A-Friend, Inc. is a non-profit, community development organization organized in 2004 in the Bronx.
The saying: “It cost less to be friends” was one of the driving forces behind the creation of Adopt-A-Friend. Sheikh Moussa Drammeh has often-times been quoted saying: “It is our belief that people all over the world are good by nature and most [of] us are doing good things for our societies, however the media’s polarizing of actions of the minority within overshadow the majority’s natural good deeds”.
Because of the daily saturation of this unfair and divisive mechanism in otherwise peaceful communities, we decided to form Adopt-A-Friend to counteract [this] by promoting the natural goodness in us. We believe that friendly communal interactions would remove ignorance about each other and create a more productive atmosphere for all.”
To address the many needs of the community, Adopt-A-Friend launched many programs, including mentoring and counseling; varied family services beginning with a weekly Tea-Out-Stress event, to foster social get-togethers and mutual support; New York Peace Coalition (Peace December); 12 Public Days “Peace, Participation & Prosperity”; Adopt-A-Success™, a program including book reading and an investment club; Trees-For-Humanity™; Emergency Family Member™; Public Emergency Management Adherence™ (PEMA) – a youth oriented anti-riot training; the Urban Educational Foundation™ – an after school program; Community Outreach; End Illiteracy Now; Social services and Fiscal Conduit Services.
And after almost ten (10) years of services being provided by Adopt-A-Friend, in 2013, it spearheaded the Community Peace Patrol Officers (CPPO) program and although there had been marked improvements in Parkchester and the Bronx as a whole in recent years, many areas in the Bronx remain as some of the poorest communities in New York City and a multitude of social ills still prevail.
To address many of the ills of the community, CPPO gathered community volunteers committed to making their neighborhoods safe, habitable and conducive to business success. CPPO consisted of men and women of all ages committed to joining their neighbors to patrol areas that were susceptible to crimes, violence and juvenile delinquency.
The ultimate goal of CPPO was to create a safer neighborhood for our families, and cultivate an environment that is conducive to positive growth for our children and local businesses.
We stand on the belief that together, we can all contribute our knowledge, skills and other resources to make a huge impact on crime, juvenile delinquency and many other issues that adversely affect us all.