Sarasota Police Volunteer Ambassadors Honored By State

SARASOTA, FL — The 70 men and women who give of their time to help the city as Sarasota Police Volunteer Ambassadors just got a big thank you from the State of Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott and Volunteer Florida presented the volunteer group with the state’s Champion of Service Award during Tuesday’s Florida Cabinet meeting. The statewide volunteer recognition award is reserved for individuals and organizations that go above and beyond to serve their communities.

According to the Sarasota Police Department, its volunteers go beyond above and beyond. In the month of March alone, the 70-member team broke department records by giving 1,809 hours of service, the agency wrote in an email to media. Volunteers help out with such duties as patrolling neighborhoods, assisting at the front desk, delivering mail, tracking down lost patients through Project Lifesaver, conducting citizen surveys and more.

“The relationship between our police department and our volunteers exemplifies the definition of partnership policing," Deputy Chief Pat Robinson said in the email. "They provide an additional layer of public safety in our most in-demand areas. They enhance the ability of our police department to provide excellent public service to our community."

Sarasota Police volunteer coordinator Michelle Rinaca agrees.

“Our Volunteer Ambassadors are amazing,” she said. "They volunteer for different reasons but overwhelmingly they do it because they want to find a way to show love, respect and support for the work the men and women of the Sarasota Police Department do every single day."

Chester Spellman, Volunteer Florida’s CEO, said the group was chosen for the honor for good reason.

“They embody service leadership at the community, school and individual level and they are using innovative ways to make volunteering easy and accessible," Spellman said.

To find out more about becoming a volunteer, contact Rinaca at 941-366-2845 or visit the police department’s website.

Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department, pictured, left to right: Volunteer Florida CEO Chester Spellman, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, Florida Governor Rick Scott, Sarasota Police Volunteer Shirley Shaw, Volunteer Coordinator Michelle Rinaca, Volunteer Anne Bianchi, Sarasota Police Deputy Chief Pat Robinson, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam.

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