St. Louis
2014 Director’s Community Leadership Awards
St. Louis |
Wehrenberg Theatres |
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The St. Louis Division honors Wehrenberg Theatres for its commitment to protecting children. Wehrenberg operates 16 theatres in four states—Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota, and Iowa—with a total of 218 movie screens. Upon graduating from the FBI Citizens Academy in 2013, Ronald P. Krueger, chairman and chief executive officer of Wehrenberg, offered his help to the FBI. As a result, the St. Louis Division partnered with Wehrenberg on a new community service initiative to show FBI public safety messages during movie previews. The initiative was launched on June 3, 2014, with the announcement of a Bureau-wide campaign to educate the public about the dangers of pointing lasers at aircraft. A news conference was held at the theatre, during which a public service announcement (PSA) was premiered on the big screen. Since then, Wehrenberg has publicized the FBI Child ID App and has agreed to show any new FBI PSAs and Amber Alerts within St. Louis Division’s area of responsibility. Once the process is refined, Wehrenberg plans to recommend to the National Association of Theatre Owners that they partner with the FBI in the same manner. |