First, we sincerely wish you and your family happy and safe holidays, and we once again thank you for your invaluable service to our city.
As 2015 comes to a close, we would like to update you on some exciting and significant news about the Foundation and its efforts on behalf of the LAPD Reserve Corps. As you have probably heard by now, or will read in these pages, the Department is ramping up its recruitment of reserve candidates. This has been a primary goal of Lieutenant Darnell Davenport, who became Officer in Charge of the Reserve Section this year. As we all know, increasing the ranks of the Reserve Corps needs to be a focus in order to sustain the program in the long run. Details on the recruitment, and how the LAPRF is supporting the effort, can be found in the cover story of this issue of The Rotator.
Big news to announce: We are honored and grateful that Shaquille O’Neal has graciously agreed to be the spokesperson for reserve recruitment, and to help out wherever he can as time permits. Karla has worked tirelessly over the last several months to bring him on board, and we thank Thomas Cetnar and his associates for being instrumental in helping us.
As we have said regarding our advocacy for the reserve program, “a foundation is only as strong as the cause that it represents.” We are committed to making the LAPD Reserve Corps as strong as possible, and we feel that the circumstances are now in place to grow the Corps.
Regarding fundraising, it has been a busy year as well. Traditionally, the annual banquet has been our primary method of fundraising. While this may not change in the foreseeable future, we do want to reach out to donors in other ways, and expand our options and opportunities for fundraising. If you recall, we started this process by improving our presence in the philanthropic community with GuideStar and other resources. We are pleased to report that the LAPRF has been named a Top-Rated Nonprofit for the second year in a row! (For more information, click here.) We thank everyone who wrote a review and helped us provide the transparency that potential supporters look for in a charitable organization. To further our efforts, we are happy to be working with Rob Hollman at Rosinante Group Advisors, LLC, with his professional development experience and network.
We have added a third way for consumers to automatically donate to the Foundation while making their daily purchases: The LAPRF has been approved as a participating charity in the popular eScrip program. We thank Reserve Officer Eric Rose for the suggestion! We ask that you sign up and select the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation as your charity of choice. For more information, see page 17.
Of course, the other two ways for consumers to donate are Amazon Smile (http://smile.amazon.com/ch/95-3900093) and Ralphs Rewards (www.ralphs.com). Please note that Ralphs requires that you re-register your nonprofit of choice every year. We have also set up a simple, direct way to donate at www.laprf.org/donate.
We continue to ramp up our funding support, especially as our fundraising success increases. An example of funding that is right in our wheelhouse was the purchasing of BDUs for HWD reserve officers working homeless details. The funding request stated: “This detail is an example of how LAPD reserve police officers can have a real impact on the community in which they work.” The Area initially raised partial funds through the local boosters, and we thank Reserve Officer (and LAPRF Director) Bernard Khalili for his support as the LAPRF helped complete the acquisition of the BDUs for these officers.
In addition, we’re pleased to announce the LAPRF Scholarship Initiative. Active LAPD reserve officers and their children will be eligible for the Los Angeles Police Reserve Foundation Emeritus Scholarship, giving some financial assistance toward their academic goals (more details to follow). This initiative will join others — recruitment, equipment, training and education — as the Foundation continues to focus on funding needs. You are there for your community and the LAPRF is there for you, especially in cases of financial hardship and your welfare.
The LAPRF has acquired 99 discounted tickets to the Los Angeles Kings game on March 5, 2016. A portion of the proceeds will go to support our cause, the Reserve Corps! Please get your tickets ASAP; see page 2 for more details. The Kings will be playing their crosstown rival, the Anaheim Ducks, and we are planning for a fun time promoting the reserve program. This is the first time this has been attempted, so it’s a test — one we hope will be very successful. See you there!
Finally, save the date April 16, 2016, for the next Twice a Citizen banquet. The details are still preliminary, but we are shaking things up a bit to provide an exciting event with a few surprises. The venue will be the historic Avalon in Hollywood, and you definitely will not want to miss it. The cool 1920s-style nightclub, updated with state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment, will result in what we feel will be one of our best banquets.
On behalf of our Board of Directors, we thank you and your families, and we wish you a great holiday and happy new year. We both had the opportunity to attend the L.A. Police Commission meeting on September 15, and we witnessed firsthand the Department’s support of the reserve program in the testimony to the Commission and to the public. Chief of Police Charlie Beck, Assistant Michel Moore, Deputy Chief William Murphy, Commander Patrick Smith and Lieutenant Davenport explained and defended the program to such an extent that there was no doubt about the message conveyed: that reserve officers are held to the same standards as all LAPD officers, should be held in the same regard, and deserve the gratitude and support of our City leaders for their commitment and service. In this, the LAPRF enthusiastically supports them — and you, our Los Angeles reserve police officers. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to email us at kahmanson@laprf.org or msellars@laprf.org. Be safe.