Southeast Residents: Sheriff's Association Will Begin Fundraising This Week

The New York State Sheriff’s Association Institute will begin a fundraising drive this week, and Putnam County Sheriff Donald Smith wants Southeast and Brewster residents to know what it’s about.

Here’s his statement:

Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports that the New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute will begin its annual Honorary Membership drive in Putnam County within the next few days.

A Sheriff’s Office is a part of county government, but many of the concerns of Sheriffs and other law enforcement officers are effectively addressed on a statewide level. Thus, the Sheriffs’ Institute provides centralized training programs and services for all Sheriffs’ Offices, especially such programs and services that are unavailable or impractical to provide on an individual county basis.

The flagship program of the Sheriffs’ Institute is the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp for economically challenged children. The Sheriffs’ Camp, in its 38th year of operation, is located on beautiful Keuka Lake and about 840 children from across New York State attend the Camp each summer. The Sheriffs’ Camp program combines summer recreation with activities designed to foster an understanding of—and respect for—the laws and the men and women who enforce them. The low camper to counselor ratio allows for individual attention with an emphasis on the development of self-esteem.

The Sheriffs’ Institute pays the entire cost of the campers’ stay and transportation. If not for the sponsorship of the Sheriffs’ Institute, most children attending would not otherwise have an opportunity for vacation travel or a summer camp experience.

Financial support for many of the Sheriffs’ Institute programs comes from Honorary Membership dues. Invitations for Honorary Membership are extended on a non-partisan basis, and the invitees are selected at random. Any persons interested in supporting the efforts of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute by becoming an Honorary Member can call their local sheriff or visit the Institute website at: www.sheriffsinstitute.org to download an application.

“In these difficult economic times, many families cannot afford to give their kids a summer camp experience or a summer vacation,” Sheriff Donald Smith said. “By becoming honorary members of the Sheriffs’ Institute, concerned citizens who have the financial means can really help make it possible for economically disadvantaged children to have a wonderful time at camp.”

The Sheriffs’ Institute also funds a Scholarship Program that provides one scholarship to a student enrolled in a Criminal Justice curriculum at each of New York State’s Community Colleges. The Scholarship Program is aimed at attracting the best and brightest students to the criminal justice For more information about the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp, Scholarship Program, and other Sheriffs’ Institute Programs, interested persons may visit the Institute website at www.sheriffsinstitute.org or simply search “Sheriffs’ Institute kids” online.

The New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute was established in 1979. It is a not-for-profit corporation and is a tax exempt organization. Contributions to the Institute are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. In addition, the Sheriffs’ Institute is registered with the New York State Attorney General’s Charities Bureau.