For six weeks, California Highway Patrol worked with Lake County Special Olympics (LCSO) to coordinate Tip-A-Cop, the eighth fundraiser for LCSO.
Efforts paid off Thursday, Nov. 15, as 12 officers in uniform from around the county waited on tables at Clearlake”s Main Street Bar and Grill. The officers volunteered their time and the regular wait staff said they were happy to donate their tips as well.
By day”s end, $1,758 in tip donations had poured in to benefit LCSO”s athletic programs. Christina Navarro, a LCSO volunteer and coordinator of the event said she enjoys participating in the charity event that helps fund travel, equipment, uniforms and rental facilities for LCSO”s seven sports.
“We”re already passed $1,100,” Navarro said at 1:30 p.m. “Sam Polo, (Main Street Bar and Grill owner) is being very generous. He is completely matching all of the tips we earn here today. He is the only one who does that,” Navarro said of all the restaurants where Tip-A-Cop occurs.
“The athletes are very grateful,” Navarro said, adding that the organization can only expand as far as money and number of volunteers allow. Presently the group lacks a softball coach, although there are 25 enthusiastic athletes who want to get into the dugout.
The group also has vacancies for bowling lane coaches, and the sport is at the peak of its season, with a tournament just around the corner. LCSO director Cathy Saderlund said she is trying to recruit the 30 necessary volunteers for the tournament to run smoothly. According to Navarro, the most popular sports are bowling and basketball.
The time commitment for a coach is four months of practice, two hours each weekend, and Navarro said it is very possible and rewarding, even for those with a full schedule. She works full-time at the auditor”s office, and found out about the program through her boss, Saderlund, LCSO”s director.
Special Olympics” programs are vital for students especially, Navarro said, because the athletes aren”t likely to make the high school sports teams. There is no age limit for coaches. Requirements include filling out an application and undergoing a background check.
“We”ve had high school students volunteer and fulfill community service requirements they need before they graduate,” Navarro said.
CHP officer Adam Garcia was one of the volunteer servers. He couldn”t recall how many tables he had served, but remembered one particularly lucrative set of customers. “The judges meeting came by and tipped very generously. They”re a group of people, including former Judge Freeborn, who meet each week,” Garcia said.
He said overall there was a good turn out. “There were people who came in specifically because it was Tip-A-Cop and they wanted to make donations?I think it”s important that we support special athletes because it”s a worthy cause, and it could be any one of us who has a special athlete child.”
Contact Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com.
