Goods for Guns Foundation :

About the Program

Originally a holiday goodwill initiative, Goods For Guns will continue to focus its exchanges and program activities within the month of December annually. In concert with Representative Charles Schumer of New York, we are seeking an Act of Congress to make December "Goods For Guns Month." The exchanges will be the centerpiece of a strategic program, targeted to urban youth, to stop street violence. A series of initiatives designed to command community-based, corporate and popular support will accompany the exchanges.

To achieve our objectives, we are undertaking the following projects:

Organize national gun exchanges. For 1994, Goods For Guns hopes to undertake gun exchanges in six American cities to remove a projected 18,000 guns from our streets. The exchanges will be sponsored and promoted by Goods For Guns and administered by local police departments. To ensure the participation of young people, we will mobilize a variety of resources -- people, material and media.

People. Popular sports or entertainment figures, appropriate as role models, will be spokespeople at events. Community residents, church and education leaders, and other urban stakeholders will be enlisted to help promote and organize the exchanges.

Material. Goods offered for exchange will be targeted to the young urban consumer. Commercially appealing goods will include apparel, footwear, toys, sporting equipment, electronics and music media.

Media. We will promote the exchanges through the media. "Low-tech" media includes posters displayed in housing projects and schools, and on the streets and subways. High-tech media includes public service announcements broadcast on MTV, cable, and network television.

By concentrating the exchanges and accompanying activity in a single month, we will focus intense attention on the problem of urban violence.

Promote non-violent conflict resolution. While conflict is inevitable, resolution through guns is not. Series of speakers and creative programming (performance) addressing alternative means of conflict resolution will tour inner-city school assemblies in conjunction with the exchanges. Popular speakers and programming will help Goods For Guns change ideas of what is "cool" behavior on the streets.

Focus attention on gun violence to facilitate public policy change. Since its inception in December 1993, Goods For Guns has elicited extensive media coverage and raised public awareness of America's handgun violence problem. We will continue to focus public attention on the problem and the exchanges through simultaneous high profile events and an ongoing public relations program.

Organize youth to develop solutions to gun violence. Working with other groups, Goods For Guns will create a coalition of youth to analyze the problems of violence and develop a plan of action to make their schools and streets safer.

Goods for Guns Program Overview

Goods for Guns Accomplishments

Fundraising

Contact Us Regarding the Goods for Guns Program

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Yankee fans to get behind A Rod in a show of support that demonstrates to
him that we appreciate who he is, and what he stands for as a Yankee and as
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Hispanics Across America President Fernando Mateo has launched a national campaign aimed at getting Roberto Clemente’s number 21 retired in the same manner which baseball has retired Jackie Robinson’s number. Clemente who is looked upon as a pioneer for all Hispanic baseball players and an ambassador by all Latinos around the world, has all the credentials to be given this honor statistically as a Hall of Famer and as a Humanitarian. A web site has been created to help garner the support of all fans around the world in our quest to get this great honor accomplished. You can log on to www.retireclemente21.com to register your support to this cause.

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