Support the Santa Paula Police and Fire Foundation

June 04, 2008
Columnist
By Don Johnson Everyone knows when you dial 911 what happens. Within a few minutes of that emergency call the Santa Paula Police Department and the Santa Paula Fire Department arrive.What most people do not know is the behind the scenes effort to keep those police officers and firefighters trained and equipped with state of the art equipment to deal with your emergency.Thousands of dollars are spent by your Police and Fire Departments training and equipping those men and women who are sworn to protect you and your family.The City of Santa Paula each year goes through their budget process with every city department competing for dollars to run their department efficiently. Your Police and Fire Departments also must compete and in most instances they do not get all the dollars they need. That little extra training or that once in awhile piece of equipment just doesn’t happen. This is the state of the city budget now and has been for a long time.An effort has been launched by a small group of Santa Paula Citizens to help both the Santa Paula Police Department and the Santa Paula Fire Department acquire that little extra to make you a little safer in the Santa Paula Community. This group has formed the Santa Paula Police and Fire Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raise funds for the City of Santa Paula Police and Fire Departments for needed equipment, programs, and services. The Foundation is not part of the City of Santa Paula and is not controlled by the City of Santa Paula. A Board of Directors has been established for the purpose of overseeing all money and will supplement the budgets of the Santa Paula Police Department and the Santa Paula Fire Department.The Foundation will do the following:1. Raise funds to assist the Santa Paula Police and Fire Departments by supplementing available city revenues.2. Meeting with the Police and Fire Chiefs to learn about their equipment, program and service level needs.3. Distribute funds to the Police and Fire Departments to assist them in meeting those needs.4. Encourage the personnel of the Police and Fire Departments by demonstrating the commitment of the community to assist financially in areas where budgeted revenues fall short.5. Sponsor special events to promote community support and recognize the achievements of Santa Paula Police and Fire personnel.This small group of dedicated volunteers cannot do this alone and ask for your help to make a better Santa Paula Police Department and Santa Paula Fire Department. A non-profit organization has been established so any donation to the Santa Paula Police and Fire Foundation is tax deductible. The Foundation has established sponsorship levels but any amount of money will help the departments.The sponsorship levels are as follows:CHIEFS CIRCLE- $5,000Includes a tour of the Police and Fire Stations, lunch with the Police and Fire Chief’s and SPPFF President, and a “ride-a-long” in a patrol car and fire engine. The individual or company will receive a Chief’s Circle plaque.DIAMOND LEVEL- $2,500
Includes a tour of the Police and Fire Station, lunch with either the Police Chief or Fire Chief, and a “ride-a-long” in either a patrol car or fire engine. The company or individual will receive a Diamond Level plaque.PLATINUM LEVEL- $1,000Includes a tour of either the Police or Fire Station and lunch with either the Police or Fire Chief. The company or individual will receive a Platinum Level plaque.GOLD LEVEL- $500Includes a tour of either the Police or Fire Station and the company or individual will receive a Gold Level plaque.SILVER LEVEL- $250The company or individual will receive a Silver Level plaque.BRONZE LEVEL- $150 or lessThe company or individual will receive a Bronze Level certificate.Police Chief Steve MacKinnon and Fire Chief Rick Araiza along with retired Police Chief and Mayor Bob Gonzales, and retired Fire Chief Paul Skeels have all come on board with the Santa Paula Police and Fire Foundation and have dedicated themselves to improving the Public Safety of Santa Paula. Other Board Members on the Foundation are: Bud Brown, John Blanchard, Harold Edwards, Al Guilin, Sam Hishmeh, Debbie Johnson, Don Johnson, Jim McCoy, Gary Nasalroad, Ben Schuck, Steve Smead, Connie Tushla, Gary Wikholm, M.D., Kay Wilson-Bolton.The first event that the Santa Paula Police and Fire Department Foundation will hold will be a joint venture with the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce. The event is “Moonlight At the Ranch...The Sequel.” The event is August 16, 5:00 p.m. at Limoneira Ranch. Tickets are $60 ($75 at the door). There will be live bands, Cocktails and wine from top vintners, paparazzi photos with celebrity look alikes. Topping all this off will be culinary delights from over 40 regional restaurants. Come join the fun and help your Santa Paula Police and Fire Departments.If you wish to help the Santa Paula Police and Fire Foundation financially or have any questions, you can contact any of the chiefs or any board member for additional information. The Foundation will even come to you with a short program about the Foundation and the importance of adding additional funds to the Santa Paula Police Department and the Santa Paula Fire DepartmentHelp this worthwhile effort and commit yourself to a safer Santa Paula for you and your family.



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