Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich and Greece Town Council Members Mike Barry, Bill Murphy, Josh Jensen, and Diana Christodaro are proud to join Greece Police Department Chief Patrick Phelan in supporting Blue H.E.L.P.
On July 24th of this year, I was honored to swear in our own Chief Patrick Phelan to the position of President of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. During his acceptance speech, Chief Phelan shared that his platform for his time of service would be helping Police Officers and their families through the tragedies of suicide.
In 2019 to date there have been 142 suicides in Law Enforcement. Blue H.E.L.P. (Honor, Educated, Support, Prevent) is dedicated to honoring the service of Law Enforcement Officers who died by suicide. Their mission is to “reduce mental health stigma through education, advocate for benefits for those suffering from post-traumatic stress, acknowledge the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers we lost to suicide, assist officers in their search for healing, and to bring awareness to suicide and mental health issues” (bluehelp.org).
The national organization organizes a walk every September to raise awareness of Law Enforcement suicide. Proceeds from the walk fund care packages for families and departments after a suicide, grief camps, training, and other costs associated with awareness and prevention.
The Town of Greece is proud to serve as the New York State 2019 Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Walk location. International Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Day is Saturday, September 28th, 2019. You may register for the walk as an individual, team, or virtual fundraiser. Three winners who raise at least $1,000 will be chosen to escort the family of an officer lost to suicide to Washington, D.C. in May of 2020.
To register for the 2019 Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Walk in the Town of Greece, please visit https://secure.qgiv.com/event/classification/251349/. The walk will be held Saturday, September 28th, 2019 at 10:00am at the Greece Town Hall Campus. Check-in/registration will begin at 9:00am. The walk will begin at 10:00am and will end at 1:30pm. This event is not timed and no number bibs will be provided. If you are unable to participate but wish to donate, there is a section to do so on the webpage. The goal is to raise $5,000, which will be donated to Blue H.E.L.P.
Before we kick off the walk, we will be hosting a ceremony at the Greece Police Headquarters at 9:00 AM. The focus of this ceremony will be to unveil our new monument and our announcement for a fundraising effort to support the Chief’s mission and help fellow law enforcement officers. All proceeds collected will support Blue H.E.L.P.
“Greece is a community that is known for helping our neighbors in need” said Supervisor Reilich. “Your Greece Town Board and I are proud to support Blue H.E.L.P. and Chief Phelan’s mission by supporting these officers and their families. I encourage residents in the Town of Greece and our surrounding communities to join us on September 28th for the 2019 Law Enforcement Suicide Awareness Walk”.