Hampton, Va. (WAVY) — The top prosecutor in Hampton will take over Buckroe Beach for a family-friendly summer celebration.
The Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office will host the ‘Your Commonwealth Cares: Summer Splash’ on Sunday, July 13 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Buckroe Beach.

“You’re going to feel like it’s an old school family reunion,” said Anton Bell, Hampton Commonwealth’s Attorney. “We chose to beach on purpose because we wanted to highlight the natural beauty, resources in our city and show you the resources that we have tangibly that can help impact your life positively!”

The ‘Commonwealth Cares’ events are part of the ‘Hopeful Hampton’ initiative with the Office of Youth and Young Adult Opportunities.

“Hopeful Hampton is a collaboration initiative that we put forth about four years ago. We’re going to drive down these numbers involving violent crime incidents,” said Bell. 

Bell’s office is challenging the limits of a traditional community resource fair and the views of prosecutors. 

“So often when people think of the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, they think ‘they’re just throwing people in jail’ or ‘they’re just locking people up,'” said Bell. “I need them to understand we’re a public service. We’re here to make sure that your quality of life is enhanced, and it is normally enhanced by public safety. However, I’m the type of commonwealth’s attorney… I don’t want to just enhance your quality of life with public safety. I recognize that if you deal with the root issues that lead to criminality, then guess what? It’s a win-win! You can prevent people from committing a crime. You could prevent people from making desperate decisions.”

The summer celebration is designed to connect families with essential services while enjoying music, food, games and beach fun.

“We have over 40 vendors. They range from dealing with employment issues, homelessness issues, food insecurity issues, youth issues, mentoring and how to get scholarships,” said Bell. 

The free event offers resources, giveaways and support.

“We’re going to talk about bridging the gap between the youth and the elders,” said Bell.

Several city leaders will speak on the main stage at 1:30 p.m., followed by a special recording on The Crew Radio Show at 2 p.m. The Crew includes Bell, Rev. Dr. Kevin Swann, the Senior Pastor of Ivy Baptist Church, Minister Dimitri Bailey and Jason Covington, Hampton City Public Schools Counselor.

“We want to kind of bridge that communication gap. Let’s talk about what’s missing. What can we do to make sure that you’re getting what we have? We’re also getting the energy and the strength of the youth,” said Bell. “We don’t run away from challenges. We embrace challenges. We see it as an opportunity to build new levels of life.”

To learn more or volunteer for the ‘Your Commonwealth Cares: Summer Splash,’ click here.