FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
BALTIMORE, MD (SEPTEMBER 8, 2018) – To help kick off the 2018-2019 school year, Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) Police will distribute $9,700 in needed school supplies to disadvantaged youth at the Emmanuel United Baptist Church in Baltimore on Saturday, September 8. This back-to-school event highlights MDOT MTA Police’s commitment to Baltimore City and the Penn-North community, which relies on transit services to get where they need and want to go.
“MDOT MTA Police value the relationships we’ve established throughout the communities we serve, and we especially appreciate the opportunity to join forces with our community partners in Penn-North to ensure our youth have the tools they need for a successful school year,” said MDOT MTA Chief of Police Colonel John E. Gavrilis. “Our transit officers take pride in giving back and supporting the community.”
MDOT MTA Police will be on hand to provide nearly 200 students with a variety of school supplies, including pens, notebooks and backpacks. Funding for these items was made possible by a $9,700 grant from Governor Larry Hogan’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention. MDOT MTA police also will discuss and reinforce transit safety techniques with students.
In addition to the school supply giveaway in Penn-North, MDOT MTA has been leading the $27.3 million “North Avenue Rising” project that delivers on the Hogan Administration’s commitment to grow Maryland’s economy and create new jobs. This joint project between Baltimore City and MDOT – with state, local and federal funding – builds on the public/private investment and revitalization that already has taken place along North Avenue through targeted improvements in transportation infrastructure. MDOT MTA is revitalizing a five-mile stretch of North Avenue with improvements, including: dedicated bus lanes; transit signal priority, which allows buses to hold green lights longer and shorten red lights; bike facilities; enhancements to Light RailLink and Metro SubwayLink stations; improvements at major bus stops and sidewalks; streetscaping; and roadway repaving.
MDOT MTA is one of the largest multi-modal transit systems in the United States. MDOT MTA operates LocalLink and commuter buses, Light RailLink, Metro SubwayLink, Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Train service and a comprehensive Mobility (paratransit) system. MDOT MTA’s goal is to provide safe, efficient and reliable transit across Maryland with world-class customer service. To learn more, visit mdot.maryland.gov or mta.maryland.gov, check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/mtamaryland and follow us on Twitter @mtamaryland.
Media Contacts
Sandy Arnette
Office: 410-767-8367
Cell: 443-835-7984
sarnette@mta.maryland.gov(
Paul Shepard
Office: 410-767-3935
Cell: 443-622-4181
pshepard@mta.maryland.gov
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