Rossford police, fire benefit to aid fellow officers in Lake Township

8/24/2010

Two months after a deadly tornado swept away the Lake Township administration building and displaced local emergency responders, Rossford police officers and firefighters are hosting a fund-raiser to support their neighboring departments.

"The Calm after the Storm" benefit will be Sunday.

"They lost a lot that day," Rossford Police Officer Jodi Johnson, who organized the event, said. "They lost their entire building and equipment and they need help replacing items they may have lost. Many [officers] lost their own duty bags. I'm sure the insurance didn't cover everything."

Event proceeds will be used to purchase items for the police and fire departments, plaques in memory of the six people killed in the storm, and mature trees to be planted in Friendship Park, the community park that was thrashed by the tornado, Officer Johnson said. Event organizers haven't set a fund-raising goal because

"I'm thinking whatever we can get will definitely help," she said.

An outdoor concert will be from 3 to 8 p.m. on the site of the Local 245 and IBEW Local 8 union halls in the 700 block of Lime City Road in Rossford. The event will feature The Bridges, a local rock band that performs Top 40 tunes. Admission is $5.

A motorcycle run will be the same day. Riders must check in by 10:30 a.m. and the bikers will roll out with a police escort at noon from Buffalo Wild Wings, 26567 North Dixie Highway in Perrysburg.

The fee for single riders is $20, or $35 for pairs, and the price includes a chicken dinner.

Though Rossford Police and Fire have a special relationship with their counterparts in Lake Township because the township dispatches for the village and both share a mutual aid agreement, Officer Johnson emphasized that the event has drawn volunteers from various area law enforcement agencies.

"It's kind of a brother-sister thing," Officer Johnson said of the camaraderie between departments.

Donations for the fund to benefit Lake Township Police and Fire will be accepted at any area Huntington Bank location.

Contact Bridget Tharp at:

btharp@theblade.com

or 419-724-6086.