Police Run Raises Over $5K for COPS

“Yesterday was a good example of how officers get together,” said the SAPD’s Blanca De La Rosa in reference to Monday’s shooting in Grape Creek. “Will they see each other again? Maybe they will at a conference, but the way had them together that day was with the good times and family in a good way.”

The day De La Rosa was referring to was May 10 of this year, when law enforcement officers, families and community members gathered together at the San Angelo Stadium for the first Law Enforcement Memorial Run held during this year’s police week.

Tuesday, members of the police department were presented with a giant check for the event in the total of $5,500, funds raised by runner and walker registrations, donations and food sales on the Saturday morning event last month.

“For the first time, my goal had been around $3,000 and we definitely well exceeded that,” De La Rosa said excitedly. “Our whole purpose of the run was to recognize the officers. Our purpose was to have the run to bring the community, to bring the law enforcement, to bring the families out there to unite as one.”

De La Rosa estimates that approximately 250 San Angeloans participated in the event on May 10, of those approximately 150 were registered and an additional 100 were volunteers and assistants in the run.

The funds raised will be donated to the national organization Concerns of Police Survivors (COPS), who assists family, friends, children and coworkers of fallen officers all over the U.S.

“There are several different things in how they allocate the funds, from immediately assisting and responding to a family who has just now gone through a tragic situation to funds for school for children in school to college,” De La Rosa said. “There’s retreats that they provide for the families and it’s not just only families, it’s coworkers or anybody that’s been affected by the loss of an officer.”

Having seen such a success this year, De La Rosa is excited about hosting the run again in 2015. She says it’s important for officers to come together with families and community members and to meet in a fun and positive environment that doesn’t circulate around a crime. The event also offered law enforcement and the community an opportunity to honor officers that have fallen in the line of duty, she said.

The check presentation was held at the San Angelo Stadium Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m., the site of the run last month. Police Memorial Week takes place nationally every year and includes a number of activities for law enforcement officers and the community to remember those whose watch has ended.

De La Rosa said this year’s run would not have been possible without the assistance of all of those involved, and extends a special thanks to everyone who helped out with the event.

“The San Angelo Independent School District was so gracious in allowing us to use the stadium,” she said. “Everybody played such a big part in making all of this happen.”

Blanca De La Rosa wanted to express special thanks to the following people and organizations involved in making the run a success this year, as well as everyone else who went out to help:

CARLOS DE LA ROSA, ROCKIN C4 HUNTING; 1ST FINANCIAL BANK ;  TEXAS BANK; STATE FARM, HEIDI DOUMA; MAX KNOX; GARY ROGERS; CHARLIE FRANKLIN; SYLVIA BALDWIN; CARLOS DE LA ROSA, SOUTHWEST INVESTIGATORS; DEAN MCINTURFF, WELLS FARGO ADVISORS; MATHIS FIELD CAFÉ; MITCHELL BUICK-GMC; WESTEX INVESTMENTS SERVICE; AUTOMATIC FIRE PROTECTION;

THEODORE HARGROVE;  WEBB,STOKES & SPARKS; WESTERN-SHAMROCK FINANCIAL; TITO’S CARPORTS, HUMBERTO VILLARREAL; SPRINGER BROTHERS; US FOODS; GLAZERS DISTRIBUTORS; OLIVER,RAINEY & WOTJECK; JENNIFER KUHLMANN; WEST CENTRAL WIRELESS; JUSTIN YARBROUGH

SAN ANGELO CROSSFIT, JEROMY SPECIALE; SAM’S CLUB, RAY RUBIO; SAM TORRES, SAISD MAINTENANCE; COMMUNITY HEALTH CLUB; FITNESS ZONE, BONNIE PRIEST; ADVANCED EYE CARE, DR. BRASHER & JODY PARMER;ST.JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHURCH,COUNCIL12798; ST.MARY’S CATH0LIC CHURCH,COUNCIL13514; SAN ANGELO KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS, COUNCIL 2136; GARRETT BAKER, HAPPY TRAILS;  ALBERTSON’S,CRAIG SOPETTO;

CHRISTINA CHAVEZ; PAM & DAVID HILTON; RYAN CRAIG, USAF; BARTOLOME CHRISTIAN, USAF; SARAH DAVIDSON,USAF; MIKE LASKO, USAF; KELLY LASKO, USAF; TRAVIS BEYEA, USAF; MIKE GREEN, USAF; JEFF HOSMER; USAF; PAUL LARSON, USAF; LAUREN DRYDEN; SARA BENNETT; YOLANDA JACKSON, USAF; BEA RAMSEY, CVRLEA; LINDA ASHTON, CRIME STOPPERS; AUSTIN RODRIGUEZ, JROTC; DELSIN SANDERS,JROTC; DARLENE LUPTON;

ISABEL BRIONES, SAPD;  ANDREW BULLER, 315TH TRS USAF; DAMIEN OSBORN,USAF; SEAN SCHUYLER, USAF; ROBERT SPAR, USAF; DAWN DAILEY; DANIEL ZAMUDIO, JROTC; GEORGE MARQUEZ, JROTC; TYLER LEECH, JROTC; ALEJANDRA AGUILAR, JROTC; TINA ANDERSON, JROTC; SAMANTHA GARCIA,JROTC; ROB MELTON; LINDA P.DIAZ; STEVE DIAZ; CHRISTINA DIAZ;

MARIA & ABBY SORIA; ROBERT SORIA, HOMELAND SECURITY; TESSA & STEVE MARTINEZ; PHIL RACE, TGCDC; KATHY WALKER,TGCSO; SAMANTHA SCHWARTZ, SAPD; BRANDON HOLLIMAN,USAF; SANDRA MUNCEY; MICHAEL MUNCEY; MATTHEW MUNCEY; NATE MEAGHER, 17TH SECURITY FORCES, USAF; JULIE QUAM, SAISD; NEIL BROWN, CVCOG