The community event on North College Drive that took place a week and a half ago was, on the surface, a typical summer program of food and fun. But its purpose was serious. The theme was “Stop the Violence,” and it was organized by three men dedicated to that goal.

What C.C. Cooper, LaKenneth Kindred and Tony Sledge had in mind was to create an atmosphere of community, friendship and fun, all of which can go a long way to fostering goodwill among neighbors. This included organizing basketball games for friendly competition, all of which paid off.

The trio intend to make this an annual event. Sponsors who are interested in coming on board may email info@theyouthgroup.org for more information.

We applaud their efforts, and call on other like-minded individuals, civic groups or churches to consider creating similar activities in their respective communities as ways to help build friendliness, respect and trust.

With those qualities firmly in place, then crime and violence can be diminished.