At last year’s Houston Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association (HCPAAA) Appreciation Dinner, President Jeanette Einkauf announced to Chief Art Acevedo that the membership had volunteered a total of 7,474 hours from Oct 1, 2016 through Sept 30, 2017.
When that numerical fact was made public, Chief Acevedo challenged the association to double that impressive amount in the coming year. He provided an incentive of six helicopter rides which would go to the five volunteers with the top number of volunteer hours. The sixth ride would be given to the winner of a random drawing of the members who volunteered a minimum of 25 hours.
The membership took the challenge to heart and was hugely successful. They not only doubled that number, they came very close to tripling it. The HCPAAA reported a record 22,056 hours from Oct 1, 2017 through Sept 30, 2018. This equates to a monetary value to the department of $543,459.84.
The announcement of the total hours was made at the well-attended Appreciation Dinner at the HPOU on Nov. 15. The event was graciously hosted by HPD’s Public Affairs Unit and feted 110 members and more than 30 officers and Command Staff members. Janie Harris (Class 18) made beautiful favors for all. They were titled “Our Time is Our Treasure.”
The HCPAAA continued the long-honored tradition of bringing unwrapped toys for Blue Santa. There were enough toys to completely fill a Toyota Highlander! Being the busy season, Blue Santa was sadly unavailable; however, he sent one of this helpers, John Roane, a recent graduate of Class 61. Seems as though the HCPAAA is popular up at the North Pole as well.
The volunteers who will soon be flying high in HPD’s helicopter are: Debra Searcy Frazer (Class 55), Janie Harris (Class 18), Deb White (Class 57), Connie Savage (Class 39), Mike Weingart (Class 13). The lucky winner of the random drawing was Timothy Davis (Class 56).