The 8th Annual Saratoga Golf Tournament is September 18, 2017

The 8th Annual Signal 30 Benefit Fund Golf Tournament is set for Monday, September 18th at Saratoga National Golf Club in Saratoga Springs. You should have already received the mailing with all the information to participate as a sponsor, advertiser and as a player. Due to the overwhelming popularity of this event, we are still offering two different golf packages this year. The morning session will be run as a Best Ball Tournament with a 1st place prize. Registration and a light breakfast for the morning session will start on the Veranda at 6:30 AM with a start time of 7:30AM. The afternoon session will be a 4 person scramble. Registration and lunch will be from 11:00AM until 12:30PM with a shotgun start at 12:45PM. Foursomes are $2,500.

As always, we will have lots of great giveaways, auction items and raffle prizes too! There are many opportunities for you to support the event such as a tee sponsor for $300, longest drive sponsor for $350 and closest to the pin sponsor at $500. The deadline is August 21st. We also have a golf journal with a variety of ad sizes and prices. We hope to see you on the 18th and if you have any questions please call Susan Streb at 518-462-7448, ext. 1 or email at sstreb@nystpba.org.

Annual Commitment Reminder
We would like to remind all of our Trustees of their annual $5,000 commitment to the Signal 30 Benefit Fund. This annual pledge can be met in a variety of ways, but must be a contribution of value equivalent to $5,000 in order to maintain status as a Trustee in good standing. As discussed above, there are many opportunities to participate in our last event of the year, which is the 8th Annual Golf Tournament at Saratoga National Golf Club. If you have any questions about your current pledge status, please call Susan Streb at 518-462-7448, ext. 1 or email her at sstreb@nystpba.org and she can let you know your status for 2017. Thank you for your continued support of Signal 30 all year long!

June Board Meeting held on June 1st
The Signal 30 Board of Directors met on June 1st, 2017 at The Belvedere Hotel in New York City. At the meeting, the following Trustees were confirmed by the Board: Willie Torres, Rufus Judson, Ronan Conboy, Scott Davidson, Carmine DeCrescente, lll, Steve Fisher, Stuart Hollander, Jim Kelly, Leah Karfunkel, Stephen Ungar, Jeff Wilpon, Esther Karfunkel Zyskind and Kyle Sayers. We look forward to working with them in the coming year.

Grants Awarded to Date
Since January 2017, the Signal 30 Benefit Fund has given $64,250 to Troopers and their families during emergency situations and other times of need. The reasons for the grants include family illnesses, medical assistance and loss of property due to fire. Another important goal of the Signal 30 Benefit Fund is to provide support to families of Troopers who have died either on duty or off duty. We gave $66,421 to assist families who have lost loved ones with burial costs and funeral expenses. This also includes money that is donated to designated funds that have been set up for continued support of families of Troopers that have passed away. We also gave $56,375 to support other fundraising events to assist local charities and other law enforcement agencies. The Casino Night committee awarded 2 grants to families/organizations in the amount of $35,000. Year to date, we have given out $222,046.

8th Annual Casino Night!

 

On March 10, 2017 the NYSTPBA Signal 30 Benefit Fund held its Eighth Annual Casino Night, hosted by Doral Arrowwood Resort in Rye Brook, N.Y. A capacity crowd of over 175 guests filled the main ballroom. Proceeds from this year’s event were raised to offset medical costs for Piper Paddock, daughter of Trooper’s Tim & Gia Paddock, The Maria Fareri Children’s’ Hospital and the NYS Troopers PBA Signal 30 Benefit Fund.

Piper Paddock was diagnosed with Ebstein’s Anomaly with severe Pulmonary Regurgitation and Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome when Gia was 28 weeks pregnant. Piper underwent open heart surgery the day after she was born on August 4, 2016 and spent 3 months at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is scheduled to go through some additional open heart surgeries to help optimize the function of her now single ventricle heart in 2017 in Boston.We also supported The Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital located in Valhalla, New York, which is an advanced pediatrics facility caring for children in need of cardiac surgery, neurosurgery and other specialty pediatric services.

All who attended had a great time and the event raised over $120,000.00. Thank you to all sponsors and attendees who made this event another huge success.

8th Annual Troopers PBA Awards Dinner Huge Success
The 8th Annual PBA Awards Dinner was held on June 1st at Sparks Steak House in NYC. Over 350 people attended the event and enjoyed a fun filled evening of mingling and dining. We would like to thank our sponsors: Paragon Management, Monticello Motor Club, NYSCOPBA, NYS Laborers’ Organizing Fund, Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co, AXA Advisors, Jefferies, LLC, Eastern New York Laborers’ Council, Turken & Heath, LLP and Lincoln Financial Group. We thank the honorees for their dedicated service to the PBA and the Signal 30 Benefit Fund. The event raised $230,000 which will go towards the NYS Troopers PBA Scholarship Fund.

 

The Western New York NYS Troopers PBA Signal 30 Benefit Fund Dinner held on April 26, 2017
The NYS Troopers PBA Signal 30 Benefit Fund honored a few very special people for their contributions to Troopers and their families and for the impact they have had on their communities. The honors took place during The Western New York NYS Troopers PBA Signal 30 Benefit Fund Dinner, which was held at The Inn at Broadway in Rochester on April 26, 2017.

Mark Gestring, M.D., F.A.C.S., is the director of the Kessler Trauma Center at the University of Rochester and an associate professor of Surgery, Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics. Gestring has been the Rochester-area chief surgeon of the State Trooper Surgeons, a division of the NYS Troopers PBA, for the past three years and has served with absolute distinction.

Recently, an NYSP Captain needed medical guidance for his 21-year-old niece who had become excessively ill while away at camp. She had been taken to a nearby local hospital, where her symptoms left physicians puzzled. The Captain contacted Gestring, who immediately arranged for the patient to be transported to URMC and ensured that the patient was seen by the appropriate physicians who could address her symptoms. Unfortunately, the patient’s condition worsened and the family received the sad and unexpected news that she may be too weak for an exploratory surgery that could help determine the cause of her symptoms. Gestring then advised the family that if they understood the risks, he would take charge of the patient’s care and perform the surgery himself. Gestring found the cause of the symptoms during the initial surgery and, after two follow-up surgeries, the patient is doing well. Life saved.

Gestring was presented with a special recognition plaque engraved with the following: “Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the members of the NYS Troopers PBA. Your uncommon medical expertise and the highest level of support you have provided to our members is forever appreciated.”

Jim Kelly is a Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and president and co-founder of Hunter’s Hope. The Hunter’s Hope Foundation was established to fund research and educate the public about Krabbe Disease and related Leukodystrophies. Jim, along with his wife Jill and their family, work in honor of their son, Hunter, to support and encourage the families of and those affected by these fatal illnesses.

PBA Executive Committee members presented Kelly with the George F. Chandler Award, bestowed during the 100th anniversary of the New York State Police. Chandler was the first Superintendent of the New York State Police and was also a physician who, after dedicated service, later left the state police to go back into medicine. The PBA was also pleased to present Kelly with a $25,000 check from the Signal 30 Benefit Fund in partnership with Hunter’s Hope and in recognition of the compassionate care that Hunter’s Hope Foundation and the Kelly family provide to patients and families.

Kelly, also the keynote speaker for the evening, gave an impassioned speech highlighting the impact that Hunter had on his family during his all too brief time with them, passing at just 8 years old from the early infantile genetic disease Krabbe Leukodystrophy. Hunter outlived his physician’s expectations by more than 6 years, demonstrating courage and love that changed the lives of his family members forever and sparked a mission to educate the world about a disease that had no treatment or cure.

Patrick Joseph Comfort Jr. received the Trooper William H. Barfoot Award for his service and dedication to the Signal 30 Benefit Fund as a Signal 30 Board member for the past seven years. This award is presented to individuals who have made the most impact on the lives of PBA members in the previous year.

During his tenure with the Signal 30 Benefit Fund, Comfort has demonstrated a deep commitment to the men and women of the NYSP. He has worked across the state of New York to inspire others to follow his example of charitable work. Comfort led the effort to bring a Signal 30 Awards Dinner to Rochester, an event that raised more than $50,000 in one evening and established a solid foundation for future growth of the fund in years to come.

Atlantis Raffle Tickets for Sale
The NYS Troopers PBA Signal 30 Benefit Fund is once again holding a raffle to win a 4 day/3 night trip to the beautiful Reef at Atlantis in the Bahamas. The trip includes an Ocean View Jr. Suite and round trip airfare for 2 from NYC. It is subject to availability and valid til September 2018. Tickets are $20 each and will be sold at all Signal 30 Benefit Fund fundraising events in 2017 with the drawing to be held on September 18, 2017 at the Signal 30 Golf Tournament at Saratoga National. The winner does not need to be present at the Golf tournament. We would like to thank Richard Tschernia (Signal 30 Treasurer) and Freedom Mortgage Corp. for donating the suite.

We would also like to ask each Trustee to consider purchasing 5 raffle tickets to help us reach our goal of selling 1000 tickets. Please email Susan Streb at sstreb@nystpba.org to let her know you would like to purchase tickets and she will get them out in the mail to you.

Troop G & H Golf Tournament a Huge Success

 

The Annual Troop G & H Golf tournament at the Fairways of Halfmoon was held on June 22, 2017. 140 golfers piled into their golf carts for a great cause. Over $12,000 was raised and donated to the Signal 30 Benefit Fund. Thank you Eric Terraferma, Troop G & H Delegate and Dale Palmer for all your hard work putting this tournament together.

Junior Board Program
We will be implementing a new program for the Signal 30 Benefit Fund, a Junior Board. The idea was introduced by Jeff Bauml, Secretary of the Board of Directors. The idea is to introduce the Signal 30 Benefit Fund to the next generation who would like to support the law enforcement community. The program will be launched in the Fall of 2017 and the criteria is: the nomination must come from a Trustee in good standing, the annual commitment will be $1,500, they will receive a Junior Board Member membership card and the applicant must be voted on by the Board of Directors. The demographic of a Junior Board Member would be anyone under the age of 35 who is interested in the work that Signal 30 does. We are asking if you have anyone that you think might be interested in becoming a member of the junior board, to please email Susan Streb at sstreb@nystpba.org. and she will forward you an application . We will be hosting a kick off event in the fall –date to be determined-at the Grand Havana Club sponsored by Board Member Vincent Levien – to have people hear more about the Signal 30 Benefit Fund.