October Children’s Hospital Event
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The police officers of Minneapolis spend their days (or nights!) giving back by serving the city and keeping residents safe. But that isn’t enough.
In 2003 the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation formed its own philanthropic organization, called Minneapolis Police Federation Charities, Inc., which works hard to support charitable organizations and causes in the Twin Cities and strengthen relationships between Minneapolis police officers, the Federation, and the communities they serve. The officers have done everything from raffles to selling limited edition police motorcycles and commemorative pistols. And on October 10, 2013, they held a unique event, different than anything they’ve done before.
On that day, the officers headed to Children’s Hospital where they participated in a luncheon and open house from 11 AM to 2 PM.
For the luncheon, police officers grilled up hamburgers and hotdogs and served them to the children in the hospital as well as their families and staff of the hospital, and even members of the community who came out to support the event. A mother of one of the officers even popped some popcorn as an additional treat.
Thirty police officers participated in the event, and some of their family members came to help out too. Officers from a variety of areas brought along equipment for participants to look at, touch, and take pictures with. Participants were able to see gear from units like the SWAT Team, Bomb Squad, Park Police Motorcycle Unit, Horse Patrol, K9, Crime Lab, and 3rd Precinct Patrol.
Another fun aspect of the day included children who were unable to come down and participate in the luncheon. Both the Minneapolis and St. Paul Children’s Hospital campuses aired a live broadcast with the officers, which was a question and answer session. The show was hosted by “The Dude” who interviewed the officers with questions from the kids and tried out their equipment.
Officer Dan Ungurian, Director of the Minneapolis Police Federation, believes it was truly an honor for the Police Federation Charities to give back and to build positive relationships with organizations like the Children’s Hospital in the community. He also says the response from the participants was “phenomenal” and the Federation is looking to plan future events in the community.
One of the biggest highlights for the officers was putting a smile on the faces of the patients and their families as they were able to actually touch the horses, the K9s, the bomb robot, police motorcycle, SWAT equipment, and crime lab. One patient who had already been released from the hospital even came back for the event!
