For Affordable Health Care for Survivors! During National Police Week 2006, Concerns of Police Survivors would like to present 50,000 signatures on a petition to Congress to support H.R. 4424. The bill would allow surviving spouses and children of fallen public safety officers to purchase affordable, comprehensive health care through the Federal health care system. This legislation would grandfather families as far back as 1976, the beginning of the Public Safety Officers Benefit program.
With families paying over $900 per month, passage of this bill would allow these families to have better coverage at a more affordable cost.
Please visit
http://www.petitiononline.com/hr4424 to sign up NOW! As of April 30 we had only 10,000 signatures.
The Force(r) Matching Donations to COPS During May The Force(r), a maker of premium law enforcement and public safety uniforms and a division of VF Imagewear, Inc. will match contributions up to $20,000 made to Concerns of Police Survivors DURING THE MONTH OF MAY. Donations may be made on-line at the COPS website, or mailed to the COPS National Office, PO Box 3199, Camdenton, MO 65020. If you've ever considered a contribution to COPS, May is the month to make your donation - $5 becomes $10 for COPS; $100 becomes $200 for COPS!!!
The Force(r) chose to support COPS in honor of Summit for Heroes 2006. Long a dream of Cops on Top, mountain climbers who honors fallen officers, expedition teams will summit the highest peaks in all 50 states on one day, May 20. Visit
http://www.theforceonline.com/copsontop to learn more about Summit for Heroes 2006. More about Cops on Top expeditions can be found here
<
http://www.nationalcops.org/Summit%20for%20Heroes%20Flyer%20-%20F.pdf>
.
National Police Week 2006 The official observance of National Police Week is always the week that contains May 15. In 2006, those dates are May 14-20.
Flags Fly at Half Staff on May 15 President Bill Clinton signed Public Law 103-322 which directs that the flag of the United States on all Government buildings be displayed at half-staff on May 15, National Peace Officers' Memorial Day.
National Police Week Proclamation
For a Sample Proclamation that can be individualized for your municipality to recognize Police Week, visit
http://www.nationalcops.org/Proclamation.htm.
The COPS National Office was relieved when word came that Camdenton, MO, Officer Jerry Kempen will recover from being shot in a recent altercation. The off-duty, 15-year veteran was shot while attempting to apprehend a suspect who fled a vehicle to avoid arrest. The Camdenton Police Department is a 12-person force in a town with just over 2,500 population and is the home of the National Office of Concerns of Police Survivors. Camdenton Police Chief Laura Webster and Camden County Sheriff John Page are to be commended for responding to the situation in the appropriate manner, providing debriefings for the officers and a support meeting for their spouses. Both agencies have had representatives attend a COPS' The Traumas of Law Enforcement training.
May Run for Crime Victims Will Benefit COPS
COPS and Crime Victims United of California will both benefit from the California Correctional Peace Officers Memorial Run for Crime Victims on May 20 at the California State Capital in Sacramento. Motorcycle-riding officers can email
info@cpomr.com or
queenofdiamonds@prisonbound.com for more information.
Philadelphia Golf Outing to Benefit COPS
A benefit Golf Outing is being planned for June in the Philadelphia area. The US Marshals Eastern District of Pennsylvania is hosting this benefit for COPS. For more information, contact
Kenneth.Fechter@usdoj.govCalifornia Peace Officer's Association Golf Tournament Will Benefit COPS
Each year the California Peace Officer's Association holds an annual training conference. Each year there is a charity golf tournament. The 2006 Charity Golf Tournament, to be held June 5, will benefit COPS. For more information, email John Standish at
standishj@insurance.ca.govWalkers Should Plan Now for COPS WALK 2006 COPS WALK 2006 is scheduled for October 14-15. Please plan to join us in the Washington, DC area for this physically challenging and emotionally rewarding experience. Entry fee is $1,000 per walker. Get your sponsors now! For further information, contact Kam Flynn, Executive Director, USSS-ERA via email at:
usssera@verizon.net. All proceeds benefit COPS.
COPSstore for National Police Week and COPS Merchandise
National Police Week 2006 merchandise is available from COPSstore <
http://www.copsstore.com/> . Items featuring the names of fallen officers on the 2006 Roll Call of Heroes are now available. See the website at
www.COPSstore.com for further details. You may want to sign up for the COPSstore email list.
COPS - Best Charity Concerns of Police Survivors has been awarded the "Best in America" seal of approval from Independent Charities of America. The Independent Charities Seal of Excellence is awarded to the members of Independent Charities of America and Local Independent Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. These standards include those required by the US Government for
inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign, probably the most exclusive fund drive in the world. Of the 1,000,000 charities operating in the United States today, it is estimated that fewer than 50,000, or 5 percent, meet or exceed these standards, and, of those, fewer than 2,000 have been awarded this Seal.
Cathy J Hill
President, GHCOPS
P O Box 73362 * Houston, TX 77273
"Arguing with a police officer is like wrestling with a pig. Eventually, you realize that the pig likes it."
When I joined the
Soldier's Angels and got my first soldier's name I
wrote about it on my blog. The first thing I did was mail him a questionnaire to see what kind of "stuff" he wanted sent over there. I got the questionnaire back today and it's the first time I've heard from HIM! Yea, it was exciting when I saw the envelope in my mailbox!
He's 22 years old and half way through his deployment. He's from Mexico and he's only been in the USA for 4 years. He joined the army to be able to go to college when he gets out. He mentioned how he feels badly when he reads in the newspapers about other soldiers committing suicide. He wrote about going on missions during the day and seeing the children in Iraq and that the children always show happiness and wave to them. "It's an amazing feeling", he said. He also said he has no words to describe how he feels but that their support and support from people like me make them keep rollin'.
The worst part was when he told me his name was misspelled! I don't know if I did it by mistake or if the SA people sent it that way. I made mailing labels with his name spelled wrong too, but hopefully if he got the questionnaire, he's been getting the goodies. He sent me "a good big kiss and lots of hugs" though so I guess he's not sore about it. Bless his heart, I've got jeans hanging up in my closet that are older than he is and they've never been to war! There is nothing we can do to thank them all enough. All the beef jerky and trail mix and peanuts in the world is just a token, but NOT sending them treats and letters and cards is a travesty. I'm glad I found a way to give back in even a simple, small way.
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