By Jim Newell
Review Editor
It’s time for another round of Clergy, Cops and Kids, the match that makes the lives of some of Orion’s residents a little better – and others a lot more fun.
Clergy, Cops and Kids benefits the Lake Orion Police Association’s Kids & Kops programs and the Lake Orion United Methodist Church (LOUMC) community outreach programs.
The fundraiser features an adult beverage tent, food, games for the kids and adults and music.
“This is the first big party under the tent in Lake Orion. Come out and join us. The more money we get, the more we spend. Every dollar spent at Clergy, Cops and Kids improves our programs with the kids,” said Lake Orion Police Chief Jerry Narsh.
Clergy, Cops and Kids is in the municipal parking lot on Anderson Street next to Children’s Park.
Events:
1 p.m.: Kidz Zone, Legacy Zone, food and drink vending open. Start of the National Trails Day ceremonies
1:10-1:30 p.m.: Bike safety demos with the LOPD
1:30-1:45 p.m.: Blessing of the bikes
1:45-3 p.m.: Trail ride with the Friends of Paint Creek Trail
2 p.m.: Family DJ live – giveaways, dances, games
3-4 p.m.: Trailways coloring activity
3:45 p.m.: Trailways grand prize drawing – DJ
7 p.m.: Kidz Zone closes
7:30-10:30 p.m.: Cosmic Groove, live music
9 p.m.: Legacy Zone closes
Online: facebook.com/clergycopsandkids.
Narsh said the LOPD and LOUMC couldn’t pull off the Clergy, Cops and Kids without the support of the community sponsors and members who support their programs.
“We’re really honored to have the community sponsors that we do. Matt Pfeiffer at Northern Flooring is the featured sponsor this year. He reached out to us and said he believes in what we do and wanted to help,” said LOPD Chief Jerry Narsh.
This year, Legacy 925 is participating and bringing extra activities to rev up the Kidz Zone.
“We’ve expanded our Kidz Zone and Legacy 925 is going to bring a lot of fun for the kids,” Narsh said.
There is no admission and all proceeds stay in the Orion community, said John Ball, pastor at Lake Orion United Methodist Church.
“The Lake Orion United Methodist Church provides so much within the community that people don’t know about, from counseling services to paying for counseling services to their meal programs,” Narsh said.
The genesis for the fundraiser came after Ball decided that the Methodist church needed to increase its presence in the community. He sat down with Narsh and together they brainstormed the idea of partnering to support causes dear to both of them.
“We recognized that a lot of the services we were providing overlapped,” Ball said. “The vision is the same, the organizations are different.”
Ball, along with others from the church and the Orion Area Youth Assistance often help out at the Kids & Kops nights.
The LOUMC provides a free meal every Monday to anyone who attends the church’s community meal evening, emotional therapy for low income individuals and families, and a community assistance fund that helps residents with incidentals and those in crisis. On the web: lakeorionumc.org.
Kids and Kops is a LOPD program in which police officers host kids’ nights for students at Blanche Sims Elementary, playing games, sports, eating pizza and spending time building relationships with police officers. On the web: lakeorion.org – follow the “Police” link under the “Departments” tab.
Narsh plans for the Kids & Kops program to run every other Friday beginning in November through March 2020. This winter, 80-100 kids attended each of the Kids & Kops evenings.
Kids & Kops evenings also give parents an opportunity to get out on their own for a few hours.
“We joke that with Kids & Kops parents get a Friday night free to themselves,” Narsh said. “(Clergy, Cops and Kids) is their time to help us so that they can go out those Friday nights when we have the kids.”