Cops on Top raises more than $2,600

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Cops on Top raises more than $2,600
By Donna Swicegood
dswicegood@statesville.com
Tuesday, May 13, 2008

The conditions weren’t ideal for Statesville police officers Chan Austin and Nicole Meyer to camp atop the roof at Chick-fil-A.

Their first night, Thursday, brought high winds and rain, and tornado warnings. And while the rain went away Friday, temperatures topped 80 degrees.

The spirits of the two officers, a little worn after spending two nights on the roof, were bolstered when they saw the final figure on funds they raised for the N.C. Special Olympics.

The total amount of money raised from T-shirt sales and donations from restaurant patrons topped $2,600.

Officer Jaime Welborn, crime prevention officer for the SPD, said the event brought in a total of $2,628.67, shy of the nearly $3,000 raised last year.

That money, along with the funds being raised by law enforcement statewide via the N.C. Law Enforcement Torch Run next week and a poker run sponsored by the SPD, will help pay expenses for Special Olympics athletes.

The local coordinator of the Special Olympics games, Betty Millsaps of the Statesville Recreation and Parks Department, said a local aquatics team is headed to the state summer games June 6-8 in Raleigh.

The team is comprised of 12 athletes, three certified coaches and one chaperone.

A bowling team, consisting of two athletes and two coaches, will be headed to the mid-summer games later this summer.

The SPD works year-round to raise money for the Special Olympics, with a heavy concentration in the spring.

Cops on Top, in which officers spend two nights on the roof at Chick-fil-A, is the first and one of the most visible fundraisers.Welborn said restaurant patrons tossed money into donation buckets set up in the drive-through line and inside the business.

“We want to thank all that donated to this worthwhile event,” Welborn said.

Next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, SPD officers and Iredell County sheriff’s deputies will be leading the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run from the Catawba to Rowan county line. The torch will arrive in Iredell County on U.S. 70 at the Catawba County line on the afternoon of May 20 and will proceed into Statesville.

On May 21, the torch will leave BB&T on East Broad Street at Salisbury Road at 12 p.m. and go to the Rowan County line, where it will be turned over to officers from that county to resume its trip across the state.

And on July 26, the SPD and Tilley-Harley Davidson/Buell will sponsor run to benefit Special Olympics. Registration will start at 9 a.m. and continue to 10:45 a.m. The ride starts at 11 a.m.The entry fee is $30 for singles and $35 for doubles.

The poker run, escorted by the SPD, will begin at Tilley Harley-Davidson and end at the Statesville Civic Center.

There will be a 50/50 drawing, door prizes and music, and registration will include a meal provided by Outback Steakhouse.

The best hand wins a 6x14 enclosed trailer, which is valued at $3,625. The worst hand wins a $500 gift certificate from Tilley-Harley Davidson/Buell.

For more information on either the Torch Run or poker run, call Welborn at (704) 878-3442.

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