| Clinton Officers Donate $10,000 to Charity |
Instead of getting holiday gifts, Clinton Correctional Facility officers have decided to give back to the community.
By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG DANNEMORA -- For many correction officers, the desire to serve their community extends far beyond the prisons and inmates they guard. Each year, officers unite to help people in need, whether it's volunteering for area fire departments and youth athletic teams, fundraising to help fellow officers facing emergencies or supporting community-outreach services. Recently, members of the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora decided that instead of getting annual holiday gifts, such as flashlights and bags, they would donate the allotted $10,000 into the community. With the tough economy, said David Duquette, a local NYSCOPBA steward, it was an easy decision for members to "donate the money back to the community." After discussing a number of local organizations, union members decided to distribute the money to several charities, including Hannah's Hope, the Clinton County Food Shelf, Elmore SPCA and the Adirondack Humane Society. They also helped kick-start the annual WPTZ Toys for Kids drive, which collects toys for needy children in New York and Vermont during the holiday season. Last weekend, a number of officers picked up 46 bikes from Walmart, where store employees donated a helmet for each bike. They dropped the bikes off to Toys for Kids this week. Duquette, who helped coordinate the donations, said more than 1,000 NYSCOPBA members are employed at Clinton Correctional Facility. "The men and women who work in the Department of Corrections are also ... highly active in the community and always want to give back," he said. E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at: avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com |
