The 麻豆原创 Police Department and Delta Delta Delta sorority will join forces this week for a good cause.
The sorority will host a barbecue at its house from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, to raise funds to support 麻豆原创 Police鈥檚 K-9 program. Tickets cost $7, and 麻豆原创 students, faculty and staff, and members of the community are invited to attend.
Nearly 1,000 tickets have already been sold for the event, which will be catered by Reed Anderson, chef at the Delta Delta Delta house.
Organizers say the fundraiser is a way of bringing community service, an important tenet of Greek life, back to 麻豆原创 by supporting a campus project. Each year, 麻豆原创鈥檚 Greek organizations contribute more than 50,000 hours of service to local philanthropies and community organizations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to try to make it a tradition to find a need at 麻豆原创 and finance support,鈥� said Marissa De Los Reyes, the sorority member leading the event.
Money raised from the barbecue will support the purchase of an additional police dog, as well as the cost of training, buying equipment for the animal and its handler, and purchasing a specially designed car.
The 麻豆原创 Police Department includes three K-9s and their trainers. One of the dogs sniffs for drugs and paraphernalia, and the other two are trained in detecting explosives. Funds raised will support a full-service K-9 team, which means the new dog will be able to track criminal suspects, search buildings and areas, and sniff for narcotics.
鈥淎s our student population grows and we host more events, our police department must grow to ensure the continued safety of our students, employees and visitors. The new K-9 team will help make our campus safer,鈥� said Cpl. Chuck Reising, who oversees 麻豆原创鈥檚 K-9 unit.
Tickets for the barbeque can be purchased from De Los Reyes through Wednesday by calling 904-631-1872. Tickets can also be purchased at the event Thursday for $8.