In an effort to reduce the potential for violence in the community over the coming years, the Peace By Piece Summit was hosted by the Community Partnership Task Force of the United Neighbors Community Partnership and the Fall River Shannon Initiative on March 28, 2009 at Bristol Community College. United Neighbors Executive Director Jenny DiBlasi says her agency has surveyed hundreds of city residents about their biggest areas of concern in their community and found the vast majority of respondents fearful of gang activity and violence in their neighborhoods. "So, we pulled the concerns of the people together and decided to see how we could help," she stated. The summit featured workshops on various topics related to violence prevention, keynote speaker Teny O. Gross of the Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence in Providence. The event was free and open to youth, adults and seniors interested in working towards a peaceful Fall River. The group plans to keep meeting over the coming months to expand participation and ideas. Click here for the article in the Fall River Spirit. Click here for the article in the Fall River Spirit. Click here for photos of one of the planning sessions. For more information about the project, contact United Neighbors director Jenny Diblasi at 508-324-7900 or Youth Services coordinator Christian McCloskey at 508-324-2419.