Lakeland Citizens’ Police Academy Donates $11,250 to Polk State Foundation

The Lakeland Citizens' Police Academy Alumni Association has donated $11,250 to the Polk State College Foundation. Attendees of the November check presentation at the Polk State District Board of Trustees meeting were, back row from left, Anu Saxena, development chair of the Polk State College Foundation Board of Directors; Dick Fearnow; Michael Matlick; Bill Uhrie; Polk State District Board of Trustees Chair Mark Turner; Polk State District Board of Trustees members Dan Dorrell, Gregory Littleton, Ricardo Garcia. Middle row from left, Veronica Rountree, Karen Scites. Front row from left, Gary Brown, Mickie Brown, Steve Jones, Polk State President Eileen Holden, Shirley Mobley, Polk State District Board of Trustees members E.S. "Ernie" Pinner, Teresa Martinez; Polk State District Board of Trustees Vice Chair Linda Pilkington.

The Lakeland Citizens’ Police Academy Alumni Association has donated $11,250 to benefit scholarships for aspiring law enforcement professionals studying at Polk State College’s Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety.

The Polk State College Foundation recognized the Lakeland Citizens’ Police Academy Alumni Association for its donation at the Nov. 26 meeting of the College’s District Board of Trustees.

“The Lakeland Citizens’ Police Academy Alumni Association’s total purpose in life is to help the Lakeland Police Department. It’s very appropriate and a great legacy for us to fund scholarships to Polk State’s Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety. Through the scholarships, we’re helping to develop police officers who will serve our community. We’re very excited about that,” said Steve Jones, scholarship coordinator for the Alumni Association.

The Lakeland Citizens’ Police Academy Alumni Association is comprised of graduates of Lakeland’s Citizens’ Police Academy. The Citizen’s Police Academy is designed for community-oriented citizens, who over the course of 13 weeks learn about topics such as uniformed patrol, crime scene investigations and firearms.

Graduates of the Citizens’ Police Academy have a greater understanding of the Lakeland Police Department and the challenges and decisions police officers face each day.

The Alumni Association had long sponsored K9 officers, but a couple of years ago decided it wanted to make a bigger impact on the Lakeland Police Department. Since then, it has staged two annual events — its Honoring Heroes dinner in September and its Chalk for Charity Festival in February — to benefit scholarships for those studying at Polk State’s Kenneth C. Thompson Institute of Public Safety.

The $11,250 is the amount the Alumni Association has donated to the Polk State Foundation in the past two years.

On behalf of the Polk State College District Board of Trustees, the Polk State College Foundation Board of Directors, and our future law enforcement officers attending Polk, I thank you wholeheartedly for your philanthropy that makes a meaningful difference in our community,” said Anu Saxena, development chair of the Polk State College Foundation Board of Directors.

The Polk State College Foundation, Inc., is a tax-exempt corporation whose purpose is to provide Polk State College with resources for the advancement of the College, its students, faculty, staff and other constituencies in fulfillment of the College’s mission.