CPD--A Christmas Act of Kindness

From our police department:

For any of us who have been doing this job longer than a minute, we commit acts of kindness which never make the media or known about by our fellow officers. But, this is an act of caring and kindness which I thought should not go unrecognized, if no where else other than within our Police circle.

The victim did not really want any sort of media coverage.

There was an aggravated burglary which occurred on Woodmont Blvd on December 23 somewhere between 17:30 and 21:30. A 27 year old, single parent of two children, 5 and 6, came home and found her residence had been broken into.

Whoever broke into the home took some of the presents which were meant to be opened by her children on Christmas morning. She could not be sure of the amount of items which were taken since she had just received two bags of toys from the Angel Tree program and did not know what was in the bags.

We can only imagine the emotions she must have been feeling. She not only had to deal with the trauma of having her home violated but, also the prospect of her children not having gifts at Christmas.

Being the good Police officers we are, we dutifully dusted for prints and wrote a report. It would have been very easy to have done our job and walked away.

But, that's not the end of the story and this is where the bad that happened starts to change course and the humanity part of our job kicked in.

Sgt Durham (known to us who have been here for a while as Bull) was not willing to let this story end on a negative note. His shift was over, but his desire to help another person continued long after his shift finished. He called Chaplain Mitchell (for those that don''t known, he is our Police Chaplain) and asked was there anything which could be done to help?

Chaplain Mitchell, made arrangements to take the victim to shopping at Wal-Mart to make sure the children would have presents on Christmas Day.

The Chaplain told me that the victim was very conservative in her shopping and did not make an effort to take advantage of a free shopping spree and bought only for her children. Chaplain Mitchell also made sure the victim would have something for Christmas and gave her a $50.00 gift card.

We, as Police, could not take away the fact that the victim's house was broken into, but Sgt Durham and Chaplain Mitchell took the extra steps to make sure the children and mother would have presents on Christmas Day.

I spoke to the victim on December 24 and she told me about other acts of kindness she experienced. After her coworkers found out what happened they took up a collection to help her buy some gifts.

They also gave her the day off from work to help her get things in order.

Some of you may see this story as sappy, but it shows how we can sometimes make a positive difference to someone we come in contact with. Our job often has negative consequences for those we encounter, but I would venture to guess, this single mom will have only good things to say about the Clarksville Police Department.

Jim Knoll, Public Information Officer

Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee is preparing to launch the Feeding Hope Challenge on December 1, a campaign to collect food and funds that supply 300,000 pounds of food in 30 days!

All community food partner agencies will benefit from this campaign and we invite you and your organization to take the Feeding Hope Challenge now through December 30 to help us feed more hungry families in Middle Tennessee.

Together, we can feed hope and fight hunger.

Take the Feeding Hope Challenge:

Make a donation to the Feeding Hope Challenge Virtual Food Drive. Each dollar provides four nutritious meals to hungry families in Middle Tennessee.

Now through December 30, host a traditional food drive or virtual food drive, and encourage your family, friends, church and coworkers to participate. Most needed items include: canned meat, soup, vegetables and peanut butter. Visit www.secondharvestmidtn.org to register your Feeding Hope Challenge food drive today!

Drop off non-perishable food donations during the December 13 Feeding Hope Challenge Food Drive events in Davidson, Montgomery, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson and Williamson counties or anytime at area Kroger locations now through December 30.

Volunteer! Volunteer opportunities are available for individuals and groups, including sorting food and onsite assistance at our December 13 Feeding Hope Challenge events.

You can help families most in need!

For more information about volunteering, please contact Second Harvest at 615.329.3491.

All donations help feed hungry families throughout Second Harvest Food Bank's 46 county service area. Every donation and every volunteer makes a difference and we hope you will consider taking the Feeding Hope Challenge. For more information, please visit www.secondharvestmidtn.org.

Loaves and Fishes will be present at the Dec 13 Food Drive at Sam's Club in Clarksville the Montgomery County event site. All food collected will stay in Montgomery County that day.

Please pass this information along to friends and family.

Everyone please have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Sincerely,

Susan Chapman
Loaves and Fishes
Executive Director
PO Box 3241
Clarksville TN 37043
931-645-9020
www.lnftn.org

Have you always wanted to help a young person achieve but were unsure how?

There are thousands of children and young people in foster care who need someone to provide them with safety, security, hope, and love.

95% of children in foster care have been abused and neglected by their birth families.

You can be a hero to a child this holiday season by becoming a Youth Villages therapeutic foster parent! P.A.T.H. (Parents As Tender Healers) training begins November 18!

Call now for more information or to reserve your spot today! Call Sheri Fayton or call 931-503-0777 ext. 1020.

Check us out online at www.youthvillages.org/foster.

Your Donation to Loaves and Fishes Can Multiply
Just as the Original Biblical Meal Did

Monetary donations to Loaves and Fishes during the month of April will bring even more money to Clarksville’s soup kitchen, which serves hot lunches to the city’s hungry and homeless every weekday.

Local donations to Loaves and Fishes will determine how much that agency will receive from the Feinstein Foundation, in Cranston, R.I. The Feinstein Foundation gives away every spring a total of $1 million to non-profit agencies nationwide helping the needy.

The Foundation's philosophy fits in well with the biblical story behind "Loaves and Fishes." Their website notes that local agencies use Feinstein money as a spur to their own fundraising. It boasts, "In the last 7 years, our annual $1 million giveaway has brought in-for over 2000 agencies across America-a total of 475 million dollars!"

You can help Loaves and Fishes multiply your donation by giving this month.

Donate online by visiting this website: Loaves and Fishes or send your donation to:

Loaves and Fishes
P.O. Box 3241
Clarksville, TN 37043

SafeHouse, the domestic violence shelter for women and children in Clarksville, needs volunteers.

For more information, contact Christy Hood at Urban Ministries or telephone 648-9100.

MCARC was established in this county in 1952 by Katherine Rudolph and a small group of local parents. Their primary goals, in the beginning, were to establish education rights for all children regardless of abilities. Later, the local chapter worked with all state and national chapters to acquire financial stability,( SSA and SSI), and health care access, (Medicare and Medicaid), for individuals with mental retardation.

Today, the MCARC is an advocacy unit of the national organization, The ARC. Although they do not directly provide services for individuals with mental retardation or similar disabilities, they do advocate on their behalf by assisting families in acquiring SSI,SSA or adult services in the state of Tennessee.

Additionally, MCARC provides social outlets for adults with M/R by hosting a monthly Saturday Recreation Program the first Saturday of each month.

For approximately 15 years, MCARC has raised funds for its activities by operating a small thrift store, ARC Thrift Store. The store is currently located at 312 Madison in beautiful downtown Clarksville! Open Monday – Saturday from 9 AM – 5PM, this 501 (C) (3) organization accepts donations daily and can give tax receipts for all donations.

For further information about MCARC or The ARC Thrift Store you can call (931) 905-0900.