The City of Knoxville and the Police Department, Overcoming Believers Church and the Save Our Sons (SOS) initiative are hosting a free citywide back-to-school event for school-age youth and their families.

The event will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 5, from 9 p.m. to midnight at Chuck E. Cheese, 8225 Kingston Pike.

The three-hour lock-in at Chuck E. Cheese includes free pizza, drinks and tokens. Space is limited, so get there early; the first 400 guests will be admitted.

Adults must accompany children to this event. For more information, call Overcoming Believers Church at 865-633-9050.

Back to School Family Night aims to warmly welcome youngsters and their families and celebrate the start of the school year. It’s also a continuation of the partnership – including the Knoxville Police Department, Overcoming Believers Church, the Mayor’s Office and SOS stakeholders – that is creating dialogue and strategies to ensure a safe, prosperous and healthy Knoxville.

For more than two years, Mayor Madeline Rogero has been meeting with a local community advisory group to better understand the challenges faced by young men and boys of color, as well as to connect and coordinate the efforts of local stakeholders. She’s joined other mayors across the country in a Cities United initiative to reduce violence-related deaths among boys and young men of color and to increase opportunities, and the City of Knoxville has accepted President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper Community Challenge” to address persistent opportunity gaps and ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.

Last November, the City was a sponsor of a Save Our Sons (SOS) Summit with leaders from local organizations to share our collective work and to identify key action steps. On June 13, the SOS initiative gathered ideas from young men at the first-ever Sons Summit.

To learn more about the City's Save Our Sons initiative, visit http://knoxvilletn.gov/saveoursons.