Spring is one of my favorite seasons of the year. The weather usually cooperates with cool to mild nights and mostly sunny and warm days. Boys and girls have already started their baseball, soccer, and track-and-field seasons. More boats are on our lakes and rivers, taking advantage of the extra hour of sunlight. Springtime is also the season for renewal, rejuvenation, and resurrection for many of us who golf, as Daylight Saving Time enables us to practice or play a few extra holes before darkness sets in. 

Spring is also a very important time in the life of the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office Crime Prevention and Intervention Unit, headed up by Lieutenant Terron Hayes. I have mentioned in previous articles about the success and notoriety of the CPIU with the A&E broadcast of “Beyond Scared Straight”, highlighting one of our agency’s many juvenile intervention programs. The CPIU employs 17 distinct juvenile intervention programs, depending on the specific challenges being faced. We try to address each challenge the best we possibly can with the resources we have available. I firmly believe that if we can change a person’s destructive behavior at an early point in their life, there is a direct benefit to the individual, their family, and the community. Additionally this year, the CPIU has been working with families impacted by the recent storms, assisting with school supplies and clothing needs. Much of the funding for these CPIU programs comes from our “Building Unity in the Community” golf tournament held each Spring.

This is where Lieutenant Hayes and I are asking for your assistance. Our “Building Unity in the Community” golf tournament will be held April 09, 2018 at Stonebridge Golf & Country Club, 319 Osprey Ridge Ct., Albany, Georgia. Golfer registration will begin at 11:00 a.m. with lunch to follow at 12:00 noon. Shotgun start will be at 1:00 p.m. Registration is $80.00 per person with 4 person teams. The tournament will be a scramble format with cash prizes. There will also be prizes for “closest to the pin”, “hole in one”, and “longest drive.” For those who don’t play golf but are interested in helping, there are $100.00 hole sponsorships and corporate sponsorships available. All proceeds from this event will be used solely for our CPIU programs.     

I receive many invitations to participate in golf tournaments and other fundraisers throughout the year. I know some of you probably receive these same invitations and you try to balance which ones to support. I am asking you to consider partnering with us this year.

Although we will never be able to determine the number of lives that have been impacted by these programs, I know that there have been many. I have seen the changes and heard the stories from many who have been through one of our programs, dating back to the days of “Deputy Dawg” Frank Sumner.  For every individual we reach, there are others we don’t. We desperately need funding in order to reach as many young people as possible. Your assistance and participation with our “Building Unity in the Community” golf tournament could give us the chance to reach more.

If you need additional information or you are interested in partnering with us, contact Lt. Hayes at (229) 431-2169, (229) 344-4363, or our office at (229) 430-6508.