Bensalem: No Place for Hate

In a ceremony at the , Bensalem Township will officially be re-designated as a No Place for Hate® community, having completed another year of anti-bias projects and diversity programs.

Lisa Friedlander, No Place for Hate® Project Director will attend the ceremony and present the community with its official designation.

To earn the designation, Bensalem formed a No Place for Hate® committee, adopted a resolution pledging to create a more inclusive community, and implemented a number of projects promoting respect for differences. Projects completed last year include:

• Unity Week, where seven houses of worship collaborated and opened their doors to the larger community, delivering non-denominational speeches on peace and acceptance in honor of Martin Luther King
• Internet Safety and Cyber-Bullying Workshop to help parents learn the dangers of the internet and how to protect their children from predators and cyber-bullying
• Participating in the ADL's WALK Against Hate, a community walk that brought together people from all walks of life to make a bold statement rejecting hatred and bigotry and celebrating differences

Barry Morrison, Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League said, “By taking part in ADL’s No Place for Hate® program, municipal leaders help to create a standard of respect, while leading their communities in the important fight to end anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry of all kinds. This is vitally important work that will benefit every community and every person in our state.”

This is Bensalem’s eighth year of participation in No Place for Hate®. They are part of the more than 170 schools, communities and organizations across the state enrolled in the No Place for Hate® program, following Governor Ed Rendell’s endorsement in 2006.

The designation will take place at St. Katharine Drexel Shrine & Mission Center, 1663 Bristol Pike, Friday, Jan. 20, noon.

The No Place for Hate® program was developed by the Anti-Defamation League to provide a model for challenging bigotry and intolerance in communities, schools and college campuses. To learn more about No Place for Hate® visit www.noplaceforhate.org.