For the 23rd summer, 7-Eleven is running its Operation Chill program, and for the fourth year, the Vancouver Police Department is taking part in the fun.
Operation Chill is a community outreach effort created by 7-Eleven to help improve relations between young people and their police departments. As part of the program, police officers give out “tickets” to youngsters they spot showing positive behavior, or doing something good. This can be anything from wearing a helmet while they ride a bike, to helping a neighbor clean up their yard, to taking part in a youth program during the summer.
However, these tickets are not the ones everyone wants to avoid—they are tickets people love to get, because they're actually coupons that entitle the holder to go to a participating 7-Eleven for a free 12-ounce Slurpee. Today, Operation Chill includes over 1,000 local police departments and other law enforcement agencies in both Canada and the United States, and over 20 million coupons have been handed out.
Operation Chill does more than encourage youngsters to behave in a positive manner, it also gives law enforcement officials the opportunity to establish rapport with neighborhood youngsters. James McElvain, the chief of the Vancouver Police Department, agrees with 7-Eleven's assessment of the program, adding the department's officers look forward to Operation Chill each year.
Officials involved with programs like this can use flyer printing to make residents aware of the effort.
