A 13-year-old boy who had just come out of the juvenile prison started crying while reading the booklet. Chirinos hugged the boy and asked a Brazilian volunteer to translate for him to find out what was going on. “These are tears of hope,” said the boy who continued reading and crying. He thanked them for showing him and his friends a future that wasn’t filled with despair and hopelessness.
In the Foundation’s signature aqua T-shirts and caps, volunteers handed out copies of the booklets at Copacabana Beach and the city center at Praça Maua. And the City of Rio backed the Foundation, giving them access to the Live Sites in Praça XV, Boulevard Olimpico, and Parco Madureira and arranging for their public service announcements to play on the Live Site screens, reaching some 1.5 million people.
America’s gold medal Women’s Eight Rowing Team joined in the action, handing out copies of the booklets and signing the Drug-Free pledge.
