Police officers will offer safety training, helmets will be provided for local youngsters and some bikes probably will be given away. “It’s good for the police, the community and the people driving vehicles,” Kinghorn said.
Other upcoming safety programs might be offered in the areas of golf cart safety and water safety. The goal of the endowment fund is to assure the long-term sustainability of the LENS program, with an eventual goal of raising $1 million and distributing 5% a year out of the fund to worthy causes. Kinghorn said it’s now possible for potential donors to send an automatic contribution from their bank account to the endowment fund and to leave money to the fund in their will. In the organization’s first year, the banquet, held at the Islander 71 restaurant at the IOP Marina, raised $20,000. This year, Kinghorn said the goal for the event is $100,000. It will be hosted by the Sweetgrass Hotel in Wild Dunes and will include an array of high-end auction items, including: an elite golf package that includes four rounds of golf and lunch; a historic harbor package; a historic downtown Charleston package put together by Explore Charleston; tickets to a Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche game; and a precious metals package made up of gold and silver bars and coins. Tommy and Bonnie Hartnett will be the honorary co-chairs of the banquet, scheduled for May 15, during National Police Week.
In addition to $8,000 for scholarships, the LENS program has distributed $5,000 to support police officers, $7,000 for events and $12,000 under the category of hardship. These include financial support for an IOP Fire Department family who lost their mother due to an illness; help for a community member who has been battling cancer for years; financial assistance for a police officer whose wife had a long hospital stay; helping to provide temporary housing for an employee of an island business; and providing a young pregnant woman who was involved in a domestic abuse situation – and her 2-year-old – with a place to stay.
