Past: NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY

THIS SATURDAY FOR NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY: WEAR ORANGE WEEKEND REACHES MISSOURI

“Wear Orange” Campaign Inspired by Chicago Teens Working to Honor The Lives of Gun Violence Survivors and Victims; Events Happening in 9 Missouri communities.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, MISSOURI: This weekend in honor of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, corporations, mayors, partner organizations and a series of iconic landmarks in all 50 states will participate in the Wear Orange campaign.

● State mayors including Cape Girardeau Mayor Bob Fox, joined mayors nationwide participating in the Wear Orange campaign this year.

● More than 400 Wear Orange events will take place across the country on June 2nd and June 3rd for Wear Orange Weekend. All events are searchable via an online map (available here) and easy to track by following the #WearOrange hashtag.

● These events will bring communities together to showcase the full creativity of Wear Orange supporters from concerts to picnics in the park to orange walks to meeting at local landmarks as they turn orange. Wear Orange Weekend events are happening Saturday to honor of National Gun Violence Awareness in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Specific event details noted below.

CAPE GIRARDEAU

WHAT: Wear Orange Community Prayer March

WHO:

● Felice Patton, founder of Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please-S.N.A.P.

● Lynda Stewart, Moms Demand Action Leader

● Scott Meyer, Cape Girardeau City Manager

● Dr. Sharon Braun, Community Counseling Center

WHERE:

March begins at Indian Park, 300 William, at 9:00 a.m.

Registration begins at 8:15 a.m.; parking and shuttle at Ranney Park, 600 S. Ranney

WHEN:

March will be from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Speaker Program & refreshments at Ranney Park from 11:00 a.m. to Noon

Last year more than 500 noteworthy individuals and organizations, including President Obama, Julianne Moore, Kim Kardashian West, Amy Schumer, Vogue, Teen Vogue and Viacom answered the call, making their support for the movement loud and clear. And across the country, nearly 250,000 people took action online and in person at events. This year promises to reach much, much further—the skyline is the limit. Landmarks across the country – in all 50 states – will go orange in support of National Gun Violence Awareness Day.

This is the 3rd Annual Community Prayer March in Cape Girardeau and is sponsored by Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please-S.N.A.P. and the southeast Missouri chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. This year's march is a part of the nationwide Wear Orange celebrations. The Community Prayer march was the idea of Felice Patton to raise awareness of the gun violence impacting Cape Girardeau and southeast Missouri. Felice's son, Quinton Combs was murdered on November 15, 2015 on the 500 block of S. Fredrick Street, and his death spurred her to form the organization Stop Needless Acts of Violence Please-S.N.A.P.

About Wear Orange

In 2013, a small group of teens at a South Side Chicago high school asked their classmates to honor the life of their murdered friend Hadiya Pendleton by wearing orange – the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others and a color that reflects the value of human life. They inspired the Wear Orange campaign (wearorange.org), a coalition of more than 500 non-profits, cultural influencers and elected officials working to reduce gun violence in America. Spearheaded by Everytown for Gun Safety, the campaign asks Americans who believe we can do more to save lives from gun violence to do one simple thing on June 1, National Gun Violence Awareness Day: Wear Orange. Those who wear orange pledge to honor the lives of Americans stolen by gun violence, to help keep firearms out of dangerous hands and to protect our children from gun violence. Orange is the symbol of the gun violence prevention movement, and is used by activists all over the country to raise awareness.