Edmond Life and Leisure - March 21, 2024

Honoring their bravery ... remembering their sacrifice

There are great folks at Edmond Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association (CPAAA) that are putting together a fundraiser for a fantastic purpose. They are putting together enough funding for an Edmond Officer Memorial. It is a tribute to Edmond police fallen officers. The design of the artwork is said to consist of a granite wall for fallen officer names, and a bronze statue of an officer kneeling on a granite pedestal. You can help and here is how.

Attend the fund-raiser on Wednesday, April 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The lunch and silent auction will be held at the Edmond Conference Center & Hilton Garden Inn at Covell and I-35. Individual tickets are $100 and there are a number of sponsorships available. I just cannot think of a better use of $100 folks since this memorial wall will honor the bravery and sacrifice of our police officers.

The structure will be located on the grounds of the Edmond Police Department in an area that can be viewed from the street, and easily accessed by the public. The purchase of the memorial will be made possible through contributions from local businesses, private citizens, and various organizations.

The presenting sponsor is AC Owen Construction, and we thank them for taking this first step and being a leader to honor Edmond’s finest. The Memorial is part of the ongoing commitment to commemorate Edmond's first line of duty death, Sergeant C.J. Nelson, who was killed on his patrol motorcycle on July 19, 2022.

Other sponsorship opportunities include:

Gold Sponsors:

Give or Raise $5,000- $9,999 Includes Table with ten tickets.

Silver Sponsors

Give or raise $2,500- $4,999, which includes four tickets.

Bronze Sponsors

Give or raise $1,000- $2,499, which includes two tickets.

Questions? Contact

Tom Robins 405-250-8207 tom.robins@solidfoundationconsulting.com

Tony Scott (405) 615-6656 Tony.scott@arledge.cpa

How do I make a contribution?

1. Online

https://wesupportedmondpd.org/edmond-police-department-officer-memorial/ https://www.zeffy.com/enUS/ticketing/0d3bcc8b-2544-4a7d-89a4f0a858b4f43c

2. By Check

Make checks payable to "Edmond CPAAA" Payment Line: "Edmond Police Officers Memorial"

Mail to:

Edmond ECPAAA

P.O. Box 395 Edmond, OK 73034

3. VENMO

Scan the Edmond Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association's (ECPAA) Venmo QR Code you’re your smartphone. This will make a direct deposit from your Venmo account to the ECPAAA for the Memorial.

The role of the Edmond ECPAA is to support the Edmond Police Department. Their mission is to increase public support of the Edmond Police Department; improve relations between the public and the Edmond Police Department; and educate the public about the function and role of the Edmond Citizens Police Academy.

The ECPAAA is an Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 509 Public Charity exempt from Federal tax under IRC Section 501(c)(3). Donors may be able to deduct contributions made to the ECPAAA. Consult your tax professional.

The piece will be done by a studio as special as the bronze itself. Brodin Studios was established by retired law enforcement and military individuals in 1978. Brodin Studios has created 350 memorial statues in the United States and Canada. They have created thousands of department recognition and retirement awards for public safety individuals across the country. The bronze will be placed in downtown Edmond by the public safety center where our police department is housed.

This one is special to me. My family is crowded with those that have served and are serving in law enforcement. One of my sons is now with federal law enforcement but he started his career with the Oklahoma City Police Department. Honestly, I believe he is safter now than when he was on patrol.

There was not a night that went by when I did not listen to the news. I hated those breaking news teasers they would do before the broadcast. Any news of a shootout involving officers, or an officer being hurt just grabbed me and I was glued to the television. Thank God it was never him but somewhere there was a family that was affected.

Patrol officers especially must be prepared for anything. They have no idea what will be facing them when they make a stop, take a call at a house or any other contact with a citizen. What we ask of them takes nerves of steel. I sure do not have what it takes but I am glad that they do.

I hope you will consider contributing.

As predicted in my column last week, the Edmond city council has put the increase in lodging tax on a June ballot for this year. Currently the tax is at 4% and the proposal will be to increase it to 6%. It will be up to voters inside the city limits of Edmond to decide.

This tax is paid by folks staying in motels, bed & breakfast and vacation rental properties. Generally, it is paid for by folks coming into town, spending their money and then leaving. Our rate has been the same since 1992 when the tax was first started. The money goes to fund what was called the Edmond Convention and Visitor’s Bureau but is now called Visit Edmond.

The purpose of the money is to help fund promoting Edmond as a place to visit, hold a conference at or to attend one. Visitors to any town help pay for the services that those of us who live in that town use every day. It also helps our businesses, especially the small ones’ folks and they need the help.

If you stayed in Edmond for Spring Break, the folks at Visit Edmond have some suggestions of activities:

Spring in Edmond

In need of plans for Spring Break? These family-friendly activities make for a fun day or week in Edmond.

Travel back in time to historic Edmond by visiting the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse or the Edmond History Museum.

Play indoors at Edmond Unplugged, Breakaway Indoor Playground, Kid's Galaxy Indoor Playground and Kidz Funtown.

Get creative at Oops, I Arted, Unpluggits Paint & Play or Edmond Fine Arts Institute.

Be adventurous at Urban Tomahawk, Surge Adventure Park, Sky Zone Trampoline Park or Daily Shredd Indoor Skate Park.

Shop around in boutiques, antique stores and more.

Hike and bike on 47 miles of trails around town.

It looks like the weather is going to be great. Our front page has a feature on Edmond Parks. It is amazing the amount of green space, water features and walking trails we have in this town. Other communities have to be jealous of us.

The opportunity to be outdoors and have things to do is amazing to me and the progress the city has made is fantastic folks. You can truly stay right here in Edmond and have a plethora of outside activities for your family. When you add that to the number of new restaurants that are downtown and around our town it is a great opportunity to avoid the hassles of traveling and stay home to have a great experience.

You can even stop downtown to our office and say hello! We have some candy for the kids and adults that purchase advertising.

(Ray Hibbard, publisher, may be reached at ray@edmondpaper.com)