Funding & Development
Local Group Announces Support for First Responders
RALEIGH, N.C. (March 16, 2011) - Local public safety officials will soon have help paying for the in-service safety training that is critical to the life-or-death services they provide. The 200 Club of Wake County has announced a donation of $10,000 to the Wake Tech Foundation to support training for law enforcement, fire safety, and emergency services personnel who live or work in Wake County. The 200 Club, a group of citizens dedicated to supporting the families of fallen public safety officers, announced the donation at its 10th anniversary luncheon at Wake Tech's Public Safety Education Campus.
"For Wake County Public Safety Officers, in-service training is vital," said Richard Hale, president of The 200 Club of Wake County. "Equally important will be training in new areas to effectively respond to changing risks and new dangers as they emerge. The 200 Club donation will support this training."
"We're honored by this generous gift," said Wake Tech president Dr. Stephen Scott, "and thrilled about the boost it gives to our training programs. These funds will be invaluable in our efforts to ensure that our community's first responders maintain the skills they need to keep us safe."
Wake Tech provided in-service training for more than 5,000 professionals in law enforcement, fire safety, and emergency medical services last year. Much of that training took place in the 65,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Public Safety Education Campus - Wake Tech's newest campus - which opened for classes last fall.
The 200 Club of Wake County is made up of business, political and community leaders who want local public safety officers to know their community appreciates and supports the difficult jobs they do every day, the risks they take, and the protection they provide. Wake County residents Richard and Patricia Hale were the driving force behind the group's formation after their son, Raleigh Police Detective Paul Hale, was killed in the line of duty in 1997. This is one of several such clubs in metropolitan areas across the country.
