Lakewood Officers' Charity Is Building Bridges Between Police, Those In Need

November 2009 changed everything for the Lakewood Police Department.

But one thing that not only stayed the same, but intensified, was the officers’ desire to help the people they serve.

One way they have been able to do that is through the Lakewood Officers’ Charity, which was borne of a conversation on Officer Tim Borchardt’s deck in 2008. The police had just wrapped up their annual charity basketball game with the fire department, and Borchardt, Sgt. John Unfred and a friend, Mike Jankelson, were mulling things over.

“We had seen most of the donations go to the fire department, and we said, ‘we need to start our own charity,’ ” Unfred said.

So they did.

Seeing a need

Now, the trio and the other officers who volunteer their time and money bring holiday cheer to some of Lakewood’s neediest little residents – and are making a push to help families in need throughout the year.

“Unfortunately, as a police officer, you see a lot of hardship, a lot of poverty – you see a need,” said Borchardt, the charity's president. “You really do. And most of us want to help people; it’s what we do.”

But there wasn’t much they could do about it, he said.

“We’d see the need, and it would basically stop right there,” he said. “There were things we could try to do to help, but it usually ended when the call ended.”

Therefore, from a logistical standpoint, the charity is a mechanism for officers to be able to help the people with whom they interact.

“It’s the buffer between the people who have the need and the people who can provide it,” Borchardt said.

As the charity’s civilian board member, Jankelson said that he has seen firsthand what the officers deal with on a daily basis.

“The charity gives these officers a place to go to bring the help that so many in our community desperately need,” he said. “It has been a great honor to be a small part of what they do.”

Borchardt said that the 2009 shootings of four Lakewood officers changed the way the public looks at the police.

“They saw people instead of officers,” he said. “They saw the person underneath the uniform.

“It’s kind of a blessing for us because we hear a lot more ‘thank you for what you do’ and ‘thank you for your service.’ It’s definitely appreciated. Before the shootings, you didn’t hear it often at all.”

Still, Borchardt said, they have a long way to go toward establishing a good relationship with some of the city’s youngest residents.

“I can’t tell you how many times I have gone to talk to people and the kids are hiding behind their parents,” he said. “Is there a reason why? I don’t know, but they are scared of us, and when they need help, they should be able to come to us and say they need help.

“We’re really trying to nurture that relationship and make it better.”

Focusing on the kids

The Lakewood Officers’ Charity currently puts on three youth-centric holiday events: providing to the families of about 150 Head Start students in the Clover Park School District; , where about 20 children buy Christmas presents for their families; and , a holiday dinner, gifts and a visit from Santa for about 70 families at Old Country Buffet.

The trio of events costs an estimated $10,000 to put on every year.

To fund the events, the charity must fundraise. Its biggest venture is the annual . This year’s game, which pits Lakewood Police against West Pierce Fire & Rescue, will be held tomorrow night at Pierce College. The two agencies split the proceeds evenly.

The Lakewood Officers’ Charity has two separate funds. The Fallen and Injured Officers Fund was set up after the 2009 shootings once the trust funds established for the children of the fallen officers were fully funded. The money is reserved for injured or fallen law-enforcement officers or their families. The charity has given more than $60,000 to families including those of Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy Kent Mundell, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson and State Trooper Tony Radulescu, all of whom died in the line of duty.

The Make a Difference Fund is what goes back to the community, which, thanks to little overhead and willing volunteers, is 99 percent of all money raised. The fund, which pays for the holiday events, is named after Ronnie Owens, one of the four slain officers.

“It was his saying,” Borchardt said of his friend, who played in the basketball game every year. “It’s something he thought was important.”

Prior to the money that came in after November 2009 – the charity now has a two- or three-year cushion to survive without any additional donations – they were limited to Santa stopping by the police station with a few gifts. Now, they can do much more.

“After the holidays, we get a lot of cards from kids saying this was the only Christmas they had,” Borchardt said. “It makes us feel good to know we’re getting to the audience we want to get to.”

Rewards and concerns

Still, Unfred said, they can’t help but think about the children that they are unable to help.

“It’s rewarding, but it’s also concerning,” said the charity's treasurer. “We can step in and do things, but what about the kids that we don’t reach or can’t afford to do?

“We would like to do more stuff year-round; it just takes time and effort with the limited staff we have.”

But it’s a task that Borchardt is up for.

“We’re working on trying to get our guys to let us know when they come across something, day or night,” he said. “My phone is always on. Mike’s phone is always on.”

Among their recent ventures have been finding a homeless family of five temporary housing in a hotel, and donating a Wal-Mart gift card to a family that lost everything in a fire.

“Small things like that go a long ways,” he said.

Unfred agreed.

“Ideally, we would like to make as big an impact as we can, and we love doing the Christmas events, but if we can help a family get that step up, or help them turn the corner to become self-sufficient, that’s a big push.”

While Borchardt has spent his entire eight-year career in Lakewood, he said he hasn’t really heard of another department having an officer-run charity.

“Having a separate entity that is made up of police officers is unique,” he said.

And it’s something that makes Police Chief Bret Farrar proud. He has helped at various events, including Shop With an Officer in 2011.

“The men and women that work in Lakewood are kind and generous men and women by nature,” he said. “It’s a bunch of really good people who care about the community, and it’s really cool how they went out and started this foundation on their own.”

One thing that Borchardt wants to be completely clear on is that this is not the Police Guild’s charity.

“It’s the officers’ charity, but it was originally called the Lakewood Police Independent Guild Charitable Fund,” he said. “We have kind of revamped that, and most of the people who come out to help are officers, so that’s why it’s named the way it is.”

And as more people learn about it, the board is hoping they will get more requests to assist families.

So what if the floodgates open?

“We’ll address it as it goes and prioritize each need,” Borchardt said. “If we start having to make decisions, that would be great, because we’d be helping a lot of people – and that’s what we’re here for.”