Any golfers out there ready to support a good cause? How’d you like to support ‘that’ cause at the Brookside Country club in Pasadena on Monday, June 20th with a bunch of great people? And what if I told you that a Priest (also the Chaplain of the LAPD) is spearheading this cause? No, he won’t absolve you of the sin of missing a 1-foot put!
As many of you already know, my father was a police officer with the LAPD for 30-years. During his last assignment/position, he was the Wellness Coordinator of the LAPD—a position that represented the Chief of Police to the many fallen and sick officers of the department. At any given time during his assignment, there were always more than 500 officers who were out for various reasons incidental to the stresses and rigors inherent of police duty. Funerals and home visit consultations for the sick officers and/or their surviving family members became my dad’s expertise. So, a symbiotic relationship between my dad and the Chaplain of the LAPD (Fr. Mike McCullough) was born.
Fr. Mike—as we call him—was conducting funerals, counseling stressed out officers, and consoling LAPD widows on such a frequent occasion, that he felt a need to take proactive action by doing something to help officers before they reached the tipping point. His dream was to build a desert refuge where officers and/or their families could go to temporarily escape the problems afflicting them, and find a solution through some tough, but solutions oriented, ‘counseling’ with Fr. Mike.
And so, in 1998, Fr. Mike started the construction of his Desert Refuge for Peace Officers (DRPO) with his own money, and the work of generous volunteers. Today, the refuge is helping officers “get through their personal battles” and has helped hundreds of families cope with the stresses that police duty has brought unto them.
I will be golfing in this tournament along with a few of my friends. As in any golf tournament/fundraiser, the more people that participate, the greater the success of the event. If you haven’t swung your clubs in a while, don’t worry; it’s “best ball.” In other words, you’re guaranteed to have a great time! I hope to see you there.
[download_box]Download the tournament form (PDF)[/download_box]