Today, Ben announced the eighth and ninth grants of the 2014-15 season from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.
“We’re very fortunate to be in the position that we are able to help these K-9 units. The work that is performed by the dogs and their handlers as well as the bond that is formed is incredible. We’re just thrilled to do our small part.” — Ben.
The Foundation will be distributing grants to the Oneida Police Department and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department outside of Nashville where the Steelers will play the Titans on November 17th on ESPN’s Monday Night Football.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office will purchase a dual purpose dog and two safety vests for its K-9s, while the Oneida Police Department plans to fill the void left in their unit with the passing of their only dog this past May.
This marks the eighth season that the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has distributed grants to K-9 units. The mission of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh, PA. Roethlisberger and the Foundation also strive to support Make-A-Wish.
Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris said, “As Sheriff of Putnam County, Tennessee, I am proud and honored to lead the agency that has been chosen as a recipient of a Ben Roethlisberger Foundation K-9 grant. The citizens of Putnam County rely on our agency to provide a safe community. To achieve this, it is vital for us to have quality trained personnel and resources. The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation grant will enable our agency to retire one of our older K-9s and purchase a new narcotics/patrol dog as well as pay for the necessary training and certification for our handlers and equip our patrol dogs with safety vests.”
K-9 Officer Steven Ward of the Oneida Police Department said, “In May of this year, the Oneida Police Department’s narcotic dog, Jinks, suddenly passed away while on duty. Our department is small and we have a very limited budget. Due to the high cost, we were concerned that we may be unable to purchase a new narcotics detection dog. But thanks to the kindness and generosity of The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, our K-9 program will continue to play an important role in our schools and community.”
The Foundation distributed $157,600 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2013 NFL season and has distributed in excess of $1.2 million since 2007.
Fans of The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation can support future K-9 grants by purchasing candy on Sarris Candies’ website, (www.SarrisCandiesFundraising.com), using a special purchase code (77-7777). Sarris will donate 25% of the purchase price to the foundation.
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