|
GULF
COAST REGION ROUND UP
Gulf Coast President
Kevin Galloway
Fallen Officer BBQ a Raging
Success!
The Gulf Coast Region hosted it’s 5th Annual Fallen Officer Barbecue Fundraiser this past Saturday, May 2nd. Our goal was to raise $10,000 for the Fallen Officer Fund. We knew we had an uphill battle to fight; we were trying to beat the previous record by 40%!
Ruben Amaya of Smith Protective Services, our Event Chairman, rose to the occasion. Ruben put in countless hours arranging vendors, soliciting donations, and cooking the food for the event.
The barbecue kicked off at 11:00 AM. By 4:00 PM more than 200 people had come by to visit us! The event drew visitors from all over Texas, from Houston to El Paso!
This year we featured our first ever Celebrity Dunking Booth. Jeff Moore graciously started the splashing, followed by myself, State President Dan Flores, and the main attraction, Dave Scepanski!
I want to point out that Dan and Dave came all the way to Houston from the Valley and El Paso, respectively, to help us raise money for the FOF. Dan and Dave paid for their own travel and accommodations and both made good on their promises to donate additional funds if they could be dunked three consecutive times. What they didn’t know was that we had a former Seattle Mariner throwing at them!
Another celebrity joined us, former Houston Rocket great Robert Reid. Robert thanked every security professional for their dedication to protecting the public. He then autographed a basketball for auction, for which Jeff Moore and I got into a bidding war. $300 dollars each later, Jeff and I both got our balls signed! (Read into that anyway you like!)
Our live auction was truly the “raging success” I mention in this article’s title. We were able to auction off almost everything but the air! When it was all said and done, an extra loaf of bread from the serving table actually netted a bid of $7! That has to be some kind of record for Mrs. Bairds! After that, an open jar of pickles sold for $17!
Our ever-popular raffle also saw some firsts. Our grand prize was a $1000 payment toward your rent or mortgage (this was Bob Burt’s idea). I almost choked when Dan Flores drew Susan Griswold’s name from the bucket, as I thought the crowd might lynch me for a conspiracy!
I would like to give a special thanks to Danny Silva. Danny, a subcontractor by trade, spent more than 24 hours cooking the meat for the barbecue. Danny did this for our organization and a couple of beers. Without him, this event simply would not have happened.
Mom and Raul from Charlie’s House Restaurant, where we host each event, cannot be praised enough. They supply us with the facility for free, a wonderful staff, cooking areas – the list goes on and on. Mom and Raul, we truly, truly thank you.
Finally, a special thanks to Barbara Bass from Smith Protective Services for selling more than 800 raffle tickets, also, Jason Zachman from SPOT for running our dunking booth.
In the end, our much-wanted goal of raising $10,000 was realized. It was without a doubt a joyous moment when Susan and Kim finished the money count and we realized that we had made our goal.
We would like to thank everyone who helped make the fundraiser the success it was, from every person who bought a plate or raffle ticket, to those who donated their time, products, or cash. Please be sure to read a full list of the donators in the next issue of Managing Security Today, and the next time you need their services, I would implore you to use them, because they supported us!
Congratulations to our other raffle winners:
Dave Parker – ASSIST Hat
Dana (Charlie’s House) – ASSIST Hat
BBQ Plate – John Brewer
$50 AMEX – Mark Dickey
$50 AMEX – Susan Allison
$100 Flashlight – Kim Villareal
$100 Flashlight – Michael Sharp
$100 Academy Gift Card – Evette Firman
$100 AJ Outfitters Certificate – Mark Dickey
Astros Tickets – K. Mackey
Texans Tickets – Laurie Catney
Mossberg Shotgun – Mark Beltran
Digital Camera – James Hargrove
26 in. LCD TV – Marvin Hirsett
The Gulf Coast Region, and now LEAPS, always meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Our meetings are held at the ARAMCO Services building, located at 9009 West Loop South. We are always seeking new members who wish to better our profession!
If you have questions about meeting dates, times, and guest speakers, please contact Kevin Galloway at
kevin-galloway@sbcglobal.net.
Click HERE
for photos!
|
