The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office is pleased to announce the
Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation as the recipient of the 2019 Director’s
Community Leadership Award (DCLA). The Penguins Foundation is part of the
education working group with FBI Pittsburgh’s Heroin Outreach Prevention and
Education initiative or HOPE. The working group, which includes other corporate
and government partners, made a free prescription drug abuse prevention program
available to area high schools. The series of six interactive modules educates
students on opioids, depressants and stimulants, as well as the appropriate use
for each drug. It also teaches intervention skills.
The foundation also provided a VIP Pittsburgh Penguins game
experience to hundreds of students who created public service announcement
videos about the opioid epidemic and the importance of keeping families and
communities safe. In addition, the foundation worked with the Pittsburgh
chapter of the Citizens Academy Alumni Association to provide incentives and
grants to more than 100 area school districts and teachers.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation has done extraordinary
work in the community to help educate our youth on the dangers of opioids,”
said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Michael Christman. “The Heroin
Outreach Prevention and Education or HOPE program teaches students to think
differently. The work students put into their videos allows them to teach and
inform their peers about the dangers associated with this epidemic. Through our
partnership with the Penguins Foundation on this important program, we have the
ability to reach more people and work together to stop this dangerous
epidemic.”
“The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and Penguins
organization are honored to receive this prestigious award for our community
efforts in 2019,” said Dave Soltesz, President of the Penguins Foundation. “The
Penguins take extreme pride in creating impactful and meaningful off-ice
efforts, which wouldn’t happen without the support from our fans, staff, senior
executives, players, and coaches. This community-first mindset has continued
through the organization’s efforts to lessen the burden of the COVID-19
crisis.”
The FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award was formally
created in 1990 to honor individuals and organizations for their extraordinary
contributions to the prevention of crime and violence in the community. Every
year, FBI field offices around the country select a community partner to
receive the award. The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office recognized Wasiullah Mohamed.
A volunteer advocate for racial and social justice in the Pittsburgh region,
Mohamed was instrumental in rallying the local Muslim community after the
shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue.
For media inquiries please call (412) 432-4291 or e-mail
cpolicicchio@fbi.gov.
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