Citizens giving back in #Davidson

There are lots of great things about living in Davidson, but one of the best is the people.  Citizens here regularly take it upon themselves to do things to make the community better

This week brings updates on a couple of citizen led initiatives previously reported on here at aShortChronicle. 

In early August we told you about the Adopt-A-Cop initiative started locally by Christine Feeney of Davidson.  The effort had s goal of raising $3600 for 6 replacement bullet-proof vests for the DPD.

On Tuesday, Feeney was happy to report that the effort raised $4155, just $45 short of enough for a seventh vest.

Excellent work!  Thanks to all who donated!

Just so there is no confusion, one thing needs to be noted.  The fact that this effort was raising money for vests does not mean the town didn't budget for them.  (Some readers thought that might be the case back in August.)  The funds raised for the vests will allow the town to re-prioritize for other needs.  Officers will get to know however that the vests they are wearing came from citizens who cared enough to give.

In a second, bid of "Good Citizen" news this week, the Davidson Community Garden reports another strong season of food donations to the Ada Jenkins food pantry.  1784 lbs have been donated so far this year, well on the way towards the annual 1-ton goal.

The Davidson Community Garden has become a mainstay of citizen volunteerism as it now ends the seventh summer.  In the most recent email from Connie and Eddie Beach who oversee things, they remind readers of the involvement of Davidson College students who have been a source of volunteers since the beginning.  The garden which was the Brainchild of Connie and Eddie does a great job at bringing in people from all walks of life in Davidson to share in a common goal.

Just a couple of examples if why Davidson is a great place.  If you've got an example people should know about, leave it in the comments.

Adopt-A-Cop raising $$$ for DPD Bullet Proof Vests

Coming on the heels of Tuesday's record crowd at the "National Night Out" event in Davidson is a story on an effort called Adopt-A-Cop.

The effort is being coordinated by Davidson resident Christine Feeney and seeks to raise at least $3,600 for 6 new bullet proof vests to replace existing ones.

According to Feeney's Facebook page, after being inspired by a similar program in Concord, Feeney seeks to get a something similar up and running in Davidson.

The Concord "program involved adopting a police officer and pairing them with a person in the community who would send them a personal note of appreciation and a tangible gift around $25.00.

After speaking with the Chief of Police in Davidson I am going to do something a little different.  They are in need of replacing several bullet-proof vests this year.  I am asking those that participate in this program  to write the note of appreciation to the officer they are assigned but to make a monetary donation in the name of their officer to a fund that will be created to purchase the vests.

You can contact Christine Feeney at her Facebook page if you want to participate this way.

Feeney goes on to say "if folks don't want to be assigned an officer but want to donate they can send a check to the police department with a memo that it is for the vest fund."

The town mailing address is:

P.O. Box 579
Davidson, NC
28036

You can also drop notes and checks off directly at Davidson Town Hall on Main Street.

Feeney has set an aggressive goal of raising the money by Monday, August 15th.

While that may seem like a short time frame, Davidson has a great history of raising money quickly for things important to the town.  In 2013, the Davidson Community Garden quickly blew away a similarly sized fundraising goal.  Back in 2011, to prevent closing the Davidson Public Library during the throws of the Great Recession, donors raised well over $200,000.

The DPD does a great job keeping Davidson one of the safest towns in the state.  Now, it's time to return the favor.  With that in mind, residents will hopefully open up their wallets for this worthy effort.