A Winter Weekend

I just came back from a few days at my camp. I haven’t been up in a while, and I figured I better check things out before I bring the kids up for our Annual Ice-fishing Weekend.

This has been a hard winter. The snow is a little deeper, and it’s been a lot colder. The temperature went down to -25 degrees Monday night. I hadn’t planned on lying on the ground under my camp for over an hour, but I had to crawl under there with my portable propane heater to thaw out my pipes. They froze overnight while I was there. My lab would crawl under every few minutes and lick my ear. It was irritating and at the same time comforting to know she was checking in on me. I am just thankful none of the pipes broke.

Last year we drove my four-wheeler and a snowmobile out to our tip-ups and ice shanty. With all this snow, I am not sure the four-wheeler will work this year. Recently, a friend sold me his two older snowmobiles and a trailer for $3,000. My son and daughter tested them out for a few miles, so I think they will work out well for our fishing trip. I already towed the snowmobiles up to camp and pulled the ice shanty across the lake to the place we will be fishing. 

The lake has a foot and a half of ice on it; I made sure to measure it before venturing out too far. I will be tuning up my power auger before the trip to ensure it is ready for the 200 or so holes we will be drilling.

I am planning to go up again this weekend with another truck full of gear. We need a lot of stuff to supply the 20 of us for a weekend. I am going to tow up another snowmobile and pull another ice shanty out onto the lake. I will definitely need to get the farmer across the street to plow out the road down to the camp. I already spoke to him about it. Right now I am feeling like I am a little ahead of things as far as the trip goes.

On a more somber note, my mother was just diagnosed with liver cancer. I took her in for a procedure where a tube is placed through a vein in her leg right into the cancer area and injected with chemo. She was home the next day, and she stayed up for a late night of playing cards with friends. Last night I visited her, and she said she was feeling weak. 

She has come along to help out on my past few fishing trips. She cooked for 12 of us kids growing up, so 20 orders of waffles is no problem for her. Before yesterday she was still planning to come along on the trip, but it now looks like she will not be joining us. The doctor said that one whole lobe was covered with cancer and the procedure would only slow the effects and help her to be more comfortable. Those of you who pray, I would greatly appreciate your prayers for her and my family during this trying time. Our family’s faith in the Lord is solid—we all know we will meet in Heaven some day, but times like these are still tough. Your prayers and support were an encouragement to me just a little over a year ago when my Dad lost his brief bout with cancer.

The dates for the ice fishing trip are February 6th-8th. The Black Lake Fish and Game Association Fishing Derby is only on Saturday this year. We will be entering everyone in the derby. They have a great youth division and generally many of our children win prizes.

If you are interested in helping us out with the ice fishing trip, you may help in any of the following ways:
· Ice-fishing line, poles, lures, tip-ups, small propane tanks for lantern and heaters, etc.
· Bait, grubs, wax worms, large minnows ($1.25 ea. We generally use 250 pike minnows)
· Food, drinks, snacks, paper plates, bowls, cups, napkins, paper towels
· Clothing (socks, mittens, scarves, mittens, etc) special thanks to a group that helped us get boots for children this year.
· Gas cards – we will be using a lot of gas for vehicles to transport everyone to camp, for the snowmobiles, and the ice auger.
· Monetary donations for Black Lake Derby entry fees, renewal fees for our Adventure Explorer Post (this provides our liability insurance through the Hiawatha Seaway Council for all our trips throughout the year, pizza and wings (Friday night), gas, minnows and any other expenses for the trip. Checks may be made out to Northside Community Police Center Fund.

Another way to support the Police Center is by simply going out to eat. I was recently contacted by a parent of children who attend our events. She works at UNO Chicago Grill in Carousel Mall and has offered to “RAISE DOUGH” for the Police Center on February 24th, 2009. 

All you have to do is go to UNOs on Tuesday, the 24th of February, present them with a RAISE DOUGH coupon, and order your meal. Up to 20% of your check goes to the Police Center. 

I am planning to eat lunch there and then return for dinner from 5:00-10:00pm. It would be a great time to meet some of you folks who support the Police Center. Be sure to ask your hostess where I am so we can visit. You may drop off or mail donations to our office at 255 Wolf St. If you have any questions on the above events, please give me a call at 471-3257.

Officer Clarke

Police Center Christmas Party

First, I would like to thank all of our many donors and volunteers who made the Christmas Party possible. Without you, we would not be able to reach so, many families. Thank you, for your generous support and hard work.

The winter storm arrived early in the morning as predicted the day of our party. Not only did it throw me off schedule (snow removal needs for the party) but I was well aware it would be an added burden to the families who travel to the Police Center by foot. More than half of the 800+ children who arrived here, walked, were carried or pushed in a stroller. Many, making the journey wearing only sneakers or shoes and with out hats or gloves. The snow caused many of the families scheduled in the morning to wait until afternoon before arriving at the party. This caused the party to run a little longer and the last 3 hours to be very crowded.

We anticipated the change from Polaroid Photos to digital photos would be challenging. The convenience of instantly handing a Polaroid to the family vs taking a digital photo, printing the photos and then reuniting the photo with the correct family was truly missed this year. Our newly, donated, A826 printer worked well all day, running non-stop 11am-6pm. However, our other two all in one printers suffered from paper jams and other technical problems through out the day slowing the printing process to a crawl at times. All day long there was a large swarm of people surrounding my printing volunteers awaiting their photos. Many families left planning to return to the Center another day to pick up their photos. Surely, we will have to work on how we manage family photos at our future events. It may require another A826 or two in order to manage our high volume of photos effectively.

Now that you have read about the challenges of a stormy day Children's Christmas Party, let me share some of the joyful stories. This year we had more volunteers than ever before. Many of our regular faithful volunteers were there to help along with lots of new folks. Having volunteers contact me in advance allowed me to work out a scheduling system I hope to refine even more for next year. Thank you, volunteers : )

Once families arrived at the Police Center they were placed in a line to see Santa, receive a gift, family photo, stuffed animal and a toothbrush. Then parents would sit in chairs through out the room while their children sat on the floor and opened their gifts. Families were treated to numerous snacks and drinks while visiting the Police Center. The Jackman Brothers preformed a magic show for the children. Child Safety IDs were also available to families who wanted them. A volunteer from Florida who assisted us with the party last year brought bags full of hats and mittens this year. She and another friend from Florida walked around putting hats and mittens on children who needed them. We served over 800 children along with their parents.

During the Christmas Party I was busy with many things to ensure the party was going smoothly (especially, the photo printing) and did not capture all the special moments happening around me. I don't like it much when I get too distracted from the children and miss those moments. I was still printing out the photos with Santa after the party, when everyone else had left. As I sat and viewed those photos I saw many beautiful smiles on so many children's faces. As I sat at my desk looking at each family photo, reminiscing about the day, my heart was warmed by the thoughts of how much joy we brought to each of these families. Thank you to all who make our party a success.

Officer Clarke

Giving Thanks

A volunteer wraps a gift for a needy child.

In spite of the economy I have a lot to be thankful for, especially my time spent with area families, my family and all of you who lend support to what we do.  I am grateful to all those who made it possible for us to hold our Halloween events. It seems like we just packed away those decorations and we’re already bringing our Christmas items up from the basement.

The Christmas Party is planned for Sunday December 21^st, 11:00am-6:00pm.  Already, the phone has been ringing with families wishing to sign up. Sign ups begin the day after Thanksgiving.

I’m a little anxious about finding the resources required to host a party that each year serves 1,000 children.  These tough times cause us to thoughtfully consider where we spend our money. For some, the thought of giving even a small portion of income to assist people outside of their own family is out of the question.  Others feel giving to people in greater need is a commitment which they keep even in difficult times. 

For more than 15 years, I have been able to provide programming for area youth that builds healthier relationships between the community and the Police Department.  A recent survey of families who have attended our programs, conducted by an SU student, testifies to this fact.  I didn’t need data to tell me this. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.  But I am grateful for the data to convince those who need more evidence that what we do makes a difference.

I could never say enough that I could not do this without you.  Some of you have been helping us from the beginning.  Others have joined in along the way. Together we’ve been making a difference in the lives of numerous children and families.  Your support over the years has given me the privilege of joining literally hundreds of families and thousands of children during some of their most joyous times. Not only did you give them wonderful memories, you gave them to me also. Who could ask for more out of life than that?  Each event, each family and each child that has walked through our door has been a treasure to me. Thank you for making this possible.

Over the years we have sometimes added or dropped programs temporally according to our finances. This year is the first time I considered dropping one of our main holiday events, the Pumpkin Carving Party.  Thankfully, some of you stepped up in big ways to ensure we had the things we needed to hold the event. I believe our total of pumpkins carved was 336 pumpkins.  That was not enough.  We ran out.

The Annual Children’s Christmas Party is our biggest event. The number of children who attend during a good economic year is around 1,000. I wonder how many more we may see this year in this difficult economy?

To make it possible, we need donations of funds and goods, as well as volunteer labor.  At the top of the list are gifts for children of various ages, from a few months old to teens.  However, we also need:  Wrapping paper, name tags (self-stick), tape, snacks, drinks, coffee, cups, paper plates, napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, hand soap, trash bags, ink cartridges & photo paper (3 x 5 or 4 x 6). 

Since Polaroid film is no longer being made, we don’t know how we will manage the photos with Santa this year. When you multiply the cost by 1,000, expenses quickly add up.  Digital is much less expensive, but it’s a little more involved.  We have found that a small but quick photo printer would help.  It costs between $90-125.  We may add that to our letter to Santa, since it will meet the demand for quick portable printing of digital photos at this event and others.  Donations of any of these items or monetary donations to help us purchase them will help make this event possible.  

In addition, we need volunteers to help prepare for the party and on the day of the event as follows:   

GIFT WRAPPING:  On two separate evenings during the week before the party, we need help bringing gifts to Senior Centers, and coordinating the wrapping of gifts: 

• One night (TBA) from 6:00pm-9:00pm at Salina School Apartments.
• A second night from 6:00pm-9pm at Franklin Square Apartments

PARTY:  On the day of the party, volunteers are needed to help sign families in, serve food, wrap gifts, take photos with Santa, print the photos, give out gifts, answer the phone, clean up, etc.  If you can help, please call (315)471-3257.  We encourage you to sign up in advance. The length of the party requires us to offer shifts and rotate assignments. Please call me before the party to review your assignment. 

Thank you to all who share in the Christmas spirit by giving of yourselves.  Those who know they’ve been blessed and have things to be thankful for, pay it forward.

Wishing you a happy holiday season,

Officer Clarke 

Pumpkin Carving Party

More photos from the Pumpkin Carving Party are posted and can be seen here.

Over 300 pumpkins received ambush makeovers on Thursday night at the Pumpkin Carving Party.

For the first time ever, we ran out of pumpkins and had to go out and get more. It wasn't easy finding them, and we sure didn't get the price break that we received by picking our own in Hafner's patch.

There were so many people in attendance, all the tables were constantly full. To accommodate the crowds, we seated some people at the desks in the office area. Yet the line remained out the door for part of the evening as we checked people in and they waited for a seat. This was a first for this event, and it presents a challenge for next year.

All ages participated. Parents and volunteers helped the small children carve fun and scary faces into their pumpkins using special tools and templates. Seeds and pumpkin goo were put in bowls, but invariably ended up everywhere.

One of our volunteers made what has become our favorite chili, which was served along with other soups and stews. The student volunteers from Syracuse University provided extra manpower that was needed to help serve the crowd. They stayed to the end, helped with clean-up and promised to return again to give us a hand. We're thrilled about that. A few donors also stopped by with some items that we count on.

Don't forget, the Halloween Safety Center is at the Police Center tonight, October 31, from 5-9pm. We will check candy and serve cider, donuts and other refreshments.

Everyone is invited to stop by, whether you're out trick-or-treating or not. We always enjoy having visitors.

Halloween Events

Renee gathers pumpkins (left) while Officer Clark loads them into the truck (right).

Thank you to all the folks who sent donations for our Halloween activities.

We held the Pumpkin Picking Trip. The Pumpkin Carving Party will take place tomorrow at 5:00 pm. We eliminated the Haunted Hayride.

Monday after school, we took as many children as we could transport in three vehicles to pick pumpkins. We traveled to Hafner's on Route 370 in Baldwinsville and loaded two pickup trucks full of pumpkins (a little over 200). They give us a discount every year that we greatly appreciate.

I always get a kick out of the children. I pull into the middle of the patch where we're surrounded by pumpkins. But the children always run 100 yards away to find their own. We were there until dark getting all of the pumpkins loaded.

Since then, we have been working hard to prepare for our party. The Center is decorated for Halloween, tables are set up with pumpkins on them and we have more stashed in the corner for the 200 plus attendees we're expecting.

Volunteers will help us put this event on. This year, a group of students from Syracuse University will be volunteering alongside others who have helped for years. This new volunteer connection was made through the contacts we've cultivated at SU. Also, one of our interns will be bringing some of her cohorts from a group she belongs to on campus.

It's a pretty big chore managing all the people at this party. It's become a very popular event that involves the kids in a hands on activity where they need helpers and supervision. Plus we're preparing and serving food. I will be happy for all of the extra help.

The party starts at 5:00 PM. We will be serving stews, soups, chili and fresh bread from a local bakery. Children will sit at tables and carve their own pumpkin. When they leave, they will receive a McGruff Trick or Treat bag with coloring book, crayons and candy. Bring your family down and enjoy this fun filled event.

We will be hosting a Halloween Safety Center on Friday night, where we check children's candy. Tomorrow at noon, I will be with WSTM Channel 3 doing a live news segment on Safety Centers. I prefer the prerecorded ones because they can edit my mistakes.

At this time, we're in need of more candy donations. At the Safety Center, we like to replace any candy that doesn't pass inspection. If you can help, please call us at (315)471-3257 or stop in to the Center at 255 Wolf Street.

Please check our website for pictures of these events.

Happy Halloween.

Officer Clarke

Pheasant Release Program

Pheasants are prepared for transport to state land where they were released.

Photographed by Renee.

See more photos here.

On Monday, children had a day off from school for Columbus Day, which gave us the opportunity for a field trip to release some pheasants. 

The birds are much bigger with beautiful colors now that months have passed since we put their blinders on. Monday's task required us to form a straight line with outstretched arms, and walk slowly inside a large pen.  We corralled the pheasants into a smaller fenced area. Then we caught them, removed their blinders and placed them into crates for transporting. 

After rounding up 105 birds, we loaded the children into three vehicles and drove to an area of state land near New Woodstock. There, we made numerous stops along a seasonal dirt road where we released 15 birds at a time. 

We all had a great time.  The children enjoyed riding through the fields and on the dirt roads through the woods. 

The Reynolds Game Farm in Ithaca is threatened with closure due to the current state budget problems.  Clubs already offset the cost of raising the chicks to maturity before they are released.  Rather than close down the game farm, my suggestion is to charge the clubs $1 more per chick, which would cover most of it's operating expenses. 

Other pheasant farms have been closed over the years. Reynolds Farm is the only one left. We can’t afford to lose them.

Part of the argument for closing the pheasant farm is that more people hunt turkey. But there still are many who enjoy hunting pheasant.  Many sportsmen and women like to bring their hunting dogs afield.  Hunting pheasant is a sport where dogs play a key role.  Many folks just love to see the pheasants walking along a hedgerow or a dirt road. 

I don’t hunt any of the birds I release. I enjoy watching them walk by as I sit in one of my tree stands bow hunting. 

Locally, the Onondaga Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs manages the raising of pheasant chicks.  They are delivered to the Jamesville Penitentiary where prisoners care for them weekdays and volunteers care for them on weekends.  

Children from the Police Center are among the volunteers who participate. We very much enjoy the program, as do numerous other members of Sportsman’s clubs who bring young people to participate. We give our time, use our own vehicles and pay for our own fuel to transport the birds to State land.  We don’t complain about the cost or the work.

This program is part of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation's effort to manage populations and promote hunting.  Imagine the cost if taxpayers had to pay state employees to deliver these services, rather than use prisoners and volunteers.  

We're appealing to Governor Patterson to keep this program.  The state could charge the clubs $1 per bird, but not get rid of a program that serves an important purpose and saves tax dollars.  We encourage readers to contact their representatives and ask them to preserve this program.

Enjoying the outdoors,

Officer Clarke

October Letter to Supporters

Dear Supporter, 

It’s hard to believe fall is already here.  There are many good things going on at the Police Center. 

As regular readers and subscribers to our blog already know, two student interns from Syracuse University are working with us on several projects.  Shana is starting an after school homework/tutoring program for area children.  Stephen is conducting a mail survey of over 400 participants in our events. Already, sixty six completed surveys have come back. We will be sharing the results of the survey on the blog.  

By the way, please subscribe to the blog if you haven't already done so.  You can have updates come to your email automatically, or use a reader to check out our notices.  It saves us money and serves you better.  Head to www.northsidepolice.com and click on the links to subscribe (or follow these instructions). 

So many good things are happening at the Center that it's tough to talk about what's not so good.  We find ourselves in a position where we can't commit to events until donations are received.  At this writing, we do not have funds for the Pumpkin Carving and Christmas Parties.  Things were tough enough for us with the impact of soaring gas prices.  Now with the other pressures on the economy, we're concerned that donations will remain down.

If there is ever a time that I can understand the temptation to keep rather than to give, it's now. Last Sunday, our associate pastor announced an opportunity to give $20 towards a program to provide school clothing and supplies to families in Sabine Pass who were recently impacted by Hurricane Ike.  He held up yellow construction paper cut out to look like little boys and girls, and invited anyone who wished to donate to write words of encouragement on the back of a cut out.   

As I exited the sanctuary, I saw the pastor standing off to the side of the Welcome Center, ready to receive the donations.  I walked past him and others who stopped to make a donation.  I thought to myself that I already placed a check in the donation plate.  Plus, I left my wallet in the console of the car.  Those were good enough excuses, I thought, as I sipped my coffee and waited while the pastor began a brief dedication of our newly renovated Welcome Center. 

While enjoying my coffee, I began to think how fortunate we were to have this nice big Welcome Center with lots of space for Sunday School rooms and offices. I also thought about how blessed I am, with ample clothing, plenty of food, electricity and a roof over my head.  The Sabine Pass children and families were without the basic things I take for granted. 

I quickly exited the building, retrieved my wallet from the car and gave a donation to someone who certainly could use it more than me. Yes, these are tough times. It’s easy for me to dwell on how much the economy has strained my budget. Plainly, I can not afford the things I could a year ago.  But my basic needs are met, while that family is going without.  That $20 will see a far greater use to the family it reaches than had it stayed with me. 

Please remember there are many families in our community with greater needs than ours. During these tough times they need our support more than ever. It doesn’t matter if it’s small local organizations like us, or others. The organizations you have supported during good economic times will have more people turning to them for help when there's a downturn.  We need your continued support during these tough times. 

Since funds are dangerously low, and donations have been down for a while, we may end up having to choose between programs to ensure we can have at least one event in the remaining months of this year.  I've been very reluctant to even consider the thought of cutting an event.  It’s not a matter of wanting to but doing what circumstances say we have to. 

The children look forward to all the events.  But we have to prioritize.  Our Christmas Party, which is usually attended by about 1,000 children and families, is coming up in about 12 weeks.  It's our biggest event by far and will be here before we know it.  The bottom line is, things aren't the same as they were in the past.  So we can't do things the same way we always have. 

Therefore, we will have the Halloween Safety Center on October 31, sponsored by Neighborhood Watch, who provides the cider and cookies.  The Police Center will be open and staffed from 4:30pm-9:00pm to inspect children’s candy. Volunteers wear costumes and provide refreshments to kids and parents. 

If we receive enough funds in response to this letter, we will decide whether we can hold these other events, according to this tentative schedule: 

• Pumpkin Picking - Tuesday, October 28, 4:30pm:  We bring the kids to a field where they pick their own pumpkins.  200 pumpkins are needed for the pumpkin carving contest. Then we return to the Police Center to decorate for Halloween and enjoy snacks.
  
• Pumpkin Carving Party- Thursday, October 30, 5:00pm:  We invite area families to the Police Center to carve pumpkins and enjoy a free harvest meal. 

Donations needed include:  Pumpkins, candy, pumpkin carving kits, candles, decorations, food, drinks, cups, paper plates, napkins or checks to help us pay for supplies. 

If you are interested in helping or have any questions, please call me at (315)471-3257.

Sincerely yours,

Officer Clarke