FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SCHOOL FINALISTS HONORED - DO THE WRITE THING CHALLENGE 2008-2009

San Antonio, Texas: February 20, 2009:

District Attorney Susan D. Reed, Chair of the Bexar County Do the Write Thing committee, announced today that 4,287 seventh and eighth graders from 26 area middle schools have submitted written proposals aimed at reducing youth violence for the eighth annual Do the Write Thing competition. The San Antonio Independent, North East Independent School Districts, and First Baptist Academy, were selected to participate; two national finalists were chosen.

The Do the Write Thing Challenge program is an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence, a coalition of business, community, and governmental leaders and volunteers. The program’s primary objective is to motivate seventh and eighth graders to make a personal commitment not to engage in violent acts and do something to reduce youth violence.

The following Celebrity Judges supported the effort:

Mr. Lafayette Collins, United States Marshal, United States Marshal Service

Mr. Pedro “Speedy” Gonzalez, Vice President of Operations, McCombs Enterprise

Mr. Jim Joslyn, Vice President & General Manager, KSAT-TV

Mr. Bill “Clark” Kent, President, BTL Technologies, Inc

Mr. Robert L. Seltzer, Associate Editorial Editor, San Antonio Express-News

Mr. Juan Sepulveda, President, The Common Enterprises

The Honorable Juanita Vasquez-Gardner, District Judge, 399th District Court

The Honorable Sharon Macrae, District Judge, 290th District Court

The Honorable Sid L. Harle, District Judge, 226th District Court

Rev. Ruben Archield, Sr. Senior Pastor, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church

Judge Linda Penn, Justice of the Peace, Precinct 4

Justice Marilyn Barnard, Fourth Court of Appeals

To honor all the finalists, on Saturday, February 21, 2009, a recognition ceremony and luncheon will be held at 11:30 A.M. at the Sheraton Gunter Hotel, 205 E. Houston Street, San Antonio, TX 78205 for the finalists and their families, their teachers, principals, and superintendents. The overall San Antonio winners, a boy and a girl, will be announced at the luncheon.

For more information, contact:
Mr. Ed Miles, Jr., Director of Community Projects
Cadena-Reeves Justice Center, 300 Dolorosa Street
5th Floor, San Antonio, Texas 78205
Tel: (210) 335-2802
E-mail: edmiles@bexar.org

This year, the winning boy and girl from San Antonio will be honored at festivities in Austin June 2009, as well as in Washington, D.C., July 18-22, 2009.

The two national finalists’ writings will be published in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.