Jaycees assist police, kids

The Seymour Jaycees scared up a large donation for Seymour Police Department with proceeds from its annual Fear Fair.

On Monday, Seymour Jaycees members Brett Hays and Shawn Miskell presented the police department with $20,000 for both portable defibrillators for patrol vehicles and the Shop With A Cop program.

“We felt it was an important thing to do,” Hays said.

Hays said the organization has donated about this amount quietly for the past couple of years but not usually to one cause or one place.

Miskell said a former member of the Jaycees is a police officer and he notified them of the need for defibrillators.

Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott said 18 police cars are equipped with artificial external defibrillators. They’re used to essentially kick-start a person’s stopped heart.

Abbott said with the lives saved with the defibrillators in 2006 and 2007, when he became chief he started applying for grants for defibrillators in the rest of the fleet of cars. He purchased 12 last year.

Abbott said the defibrillators cost about $1,250 each.

The defibrillators are portable and usually kept in the trunk of police cars.

In addition to the Seymour Jaycee’s donation for defibrillators, Abbott said the department also appreciates the Community Foundation of Jackson County, Jackson County Bank Trust Fund and Schneck Medical Center for their support.

A portion of the Seymour Jaycees donation Monday will also be used for Saturday’s Shop With A Cop program.
The Shop With A Cop program locally is a program by the Fraternal Order of Police.

The local FOP, the Donald M. Winn 108 chapter, is comprised of officers from Seymour Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Brownstown Police Department, Indiana State Excise Police, Indiana Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division and Medora Police Department.

Don Walker, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, said this year’s Shop With A Cop is going to be larger than previous years by accepting 109 children this year at $100 per child.

Abbott said 40 children benefited from Shop With A Cop in 2008 and 50 in 2007, but this year because of donations it has more than doubled.

In the last month $5,435 has been raised for Shop With A Cop, Walker said.