Children's Easter Party

Dear Supporter,


The Police Center Mailing List consists of 1,000-1,200 addresses. Our mailings have served as a way to keep you informed of the various programs offered at the Police Center. Over the years a small percentage of you have become actively involved with the Police Center and have been crucial to the success of our events. In addition, some of you have been a source of encouragement by your phone calls or notes praising our efforts. There are a much larger percentage of people who receive our mailings but we have not heard from them. This allows us to wonder if our letters are being read and enjoyed or being discarded as junk mail.


With the cost of each mailing almost .50 we are not being good stewards of our funds or to our environment if the mailings are being discarded rather than read. Therefore, we will be making an effort to cut back our mailing list. If you are on our list and we have heard from you in the past year, don’t worry, you will remain on our list. If we have not heard from you and you would like to remain on our list, simply call or email us with your name and address and we will keep you on our list.


Updates on our programs are also available via our website http://www.northsidepolice.com/ & blog seen from the north side. If you sign up on our blog, you will receive an email notification every time we make a new post to our blog. You may also view, download and print photos from our events by clicking on the Flickr link.


Our next big event is the Easter Party on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 at 5:30pm. We will be offering an earlier Pre-Party Event at 4:30pm for the families of our supporters. Please, feel free to bring your family in to participate (please call in advance with the number attending).
We are anticipating over 300 children to color Easter Eggs, visit with the Easter Bunny and receive a free Easter Basket. We also, provide food and drinks so, families don’t have to prepare a meal at home. If you are interested in helping out, we could use the following items:

• Hotdogs, hamburgers, rolls, chips, ketchup, mustard and drinks


• Eggs (lots and lots of eggs) and coloring kits (deluxe kits, make their own designs)


• Easter Candy (we need lots of candy) and Easter Baskets or buckets


• Paper plates, cups, napkins and paper towels


• Monetary donations (enable us to purchase needed items)


• Volunteers to assist with cooking, serving, egg coloring, set-up and clean-up

We are always looking for ways to help families. I was recently approached by an individual from MassMutual Financial Group. I was informed of a free Life Insurance program called LifeBridge. It’s a $50,000 Life policy to be used for the educational expenses of children who suffer the loss of the insured parent. Some requirements for eligibility are:

• Between the ages of 19 and 42;


• Currently employed (either full or part time) with a total family income between $10,000 (minimum) and $40,000 (maximum);


• The parent or legal guardian of one or more dependant children under the age of 18;


• A permanent, legal resident of the US;


• The only family member who has applied for the LifeBridge Program; and
  In good health as determined by MassMutual’s underwriting guidelines.
  

A MassMutual Representative will be at the Easter Party to assist anyone who is interested in completing an eligibility form. If you know someone who meets the eligibility requirements encourage them to come to the Easter Party and apply.

Another event we will be holding in April / May is our Annual Bullhead Fishing Trip. We take area children to my camp on Black Lake for a fun-filled weekend of fishing. The children have a great time and we always catch plenty of fish. If you would like to help we could use the following items:

• Food for the weekend (eggs, bacon, bread, milk, cereal, juice, meats, potatoes, vegetables, snacks, soft drinks, paper plates, cups, napkins, paper towels, etc.


• Fishing poles, line, hooks, sinkers, worms, minnows, etc.
  
• Lantern fuel, mantels, propane, etc.


• Monetary donations for transportation and any other needed items.

If you have any questions on our events please call our office at 471-3257.

I have received many visits, calls and emails concerning my Mom’s health. Thank you, for all the support and prayers. Mom went through her 2nd chemo treatment for her liver cancer. She is in good spirits and talking about bullhead fishing. I am looking forward to taking her fishing.

Officer Clarke

Syracuse Police in 2009 St. Patrick's Parade

Syracuse Police march along the parade route.

Syracuse Police march near Clinton Square.

(With apologies for the video quality.)

Be sure to check our Flickr site for more photos from the Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade 2009!

Syracuse St. Patrick's Day Parade Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, 14th March, is the Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. The Parade begins at noon with the route starting at S. Salina St. and Erie Blvd West, ending on S. Salina St. and W. Onondaga St.

Looks like tomorrow will be a nice day (sunny 43-46 degrees), not bad when compared to some of the past years. So, get your families out for a fun time and enjoy the parade.

The Syracuse Police Department will be towards the very front of the parade. I plan to march in the parade tomorrow. If you are on the west side of S. Salina St. be sure to give a shout out if you see me pass. 

More importantly, give a loud shout out to all the police and fire fighters as they march past. We are fortunate to live in a community with some truly dedicated public servants. Be sure to let them all know you appreciate them by giving a loud shout out as they pass. 

Hope to see you there.

Officer Clarke

Thanks for the Dough

Thank you to those who turned out for the "Dough Raiser" on Tuesday. We're waiting to hear from Uno's regarding the amount that was raised. Your support is appreciated.

Dough Raiser for the Police Center

Hey Folks,

Please, remember the UNO CHICAGO GRILL Dough Raiser at Carousel Mall. On Tuesday February 24th, up to 20% of your check may be donated to the Police Center Fund. Invite family and friends to join you for dinner at the UNO CHICAGO GRILL in Carousel Mall. Use the coupon from our mailing or inform your server, you are there to RAISE DOUGH for the Northside Community Police Center. I am planning to eat lunch at the Uno Grill and will also be there from 5:00PM-10:00PM. Ask your server where I am in the restaurant and be sure to visit our table. If you have any questions, call our office during the day at 471-3257.

See you there,

Officer Clarke

Ice-Fishing Trip 2008

The children pose for photos on the snowmobiles. They are not riding them cuz they would not be driving and they would be wearing helmets.

A couple of the older boys man the tip-ups outside the Ice shanty.

Twenty one of us spent the weekend together on our Ice-fishing Trip. We all had a great time enjoying winter activities together. This year was especially meaningful for me because several of our older kids who came on the trip, have not been in a number of years. It was fun reminiscing about how much they enjoyed the trip when they were younger and to be there at their current age along with the other younger children. It's was such a joy to have them there to help out with all the hole drilling and setting out the tip-ups.

The weather was beautiful. We had blue, skies and warm temperatures (just above freezing). The wind chill made it a little cold when we were out on the lake but the fishing holes didn't ice over because of the temperature. Not having to chip out the holes every few minutes is a big plus when ice-fishing. We didn't catch any pike on our tip-ups but the children caught plenty of pan fish on their hand-lines. Many of our children won prizes in the Youth Division of the Fishing Derby. Some of the prizes we won were $50 cash, $25 Walmart gift certificate, case of soda and others.

The younger children spent a lot of time sledding and playing in the snow. The older kids rode the snowmobiles almost non-stop. They put over 300 miles on each of my four snowmobiles over the weekend. Many of the miles were done by taking turns riding out to the island and back 1/2 mile out in front of camp. They also took turns riding on a longer trips with us adults, five miles down the lake to the store, to gas up the snowmobiles. In the evening we made popcorn and put a movie in the DVD player for the younger ones. For the older kids it was more snowmobile riding. It would get a little tight at night when we set up the cots and rolled out the beds. Five of the older boys slept in the camper so, we managed to work it out. First thing in the mornings we had to break down the cots and roll outs so we had enough room to eat breakfast. These youngsters sure could pack away a big breakfast (eggs, bacon, waffles, home fries, juice). Then it was outside to play. We had a fun filled weekend. Thanks to all you folks who made our trip possible. To view more photos of our trip go to flickr.

Please, remember, our Chicago Uno Dough Raiser at Carousel Mall on Tuesday February 24. If you don't have a coupon, advise the server you are participating in the Police Center Dough raiser.

Thank you,

Officer Clarke

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