Savannah’s 100 Days of Summer initiative underway

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Memorial Day weekend always marks the unofficial start to summer.

Savannah city agencies gathered with the community to kick off their 100 days of summer initiative with a pool party at Bowles Ford Pool Friday.

It’s all in an effort to ensure students have a safe and engaging summer.

“It’s basically our engagement strategy for youth and families to provide options for recreation programming for things to do throughout the summer,” Nick Roberts said.

The initiative is an attempt to get ahead of a spike in crime normally seen in Savannah during the summer.

“Historically, during the summer when it’s hot, our crime rate tends to go up, so for us, the police, our city, and other departments, it’s really important to engage them in positive ways and offer them resources that we think they would be happy doing and really keep them occupied,” Chief Lenny Gunther said.

There are more than 130 programs available to students across multiple city departments throughout the summer. Friday’s pool party marked the beginning of it with water safety lessons, free food, and a DJ.

“Savannah has a tradition of having squares, which are meant to bring people together. The same with our parks and green spaces, we’re doing the same thing, providing opportunities for people to come out together as a community with their families, with their kids and be able to engage with not only us, but also their neighbors.”

And while the cloudy and cool weather didn’t make for an ideal pool day, it didn’t dampen the spirits of those promoting safety for the area’s students.

“This has been an ongoing effort, but I think this is the first time we have so many resources focused on the same goal for our community and our kids.”

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