Cruise-In For Cops was an event that was part fundraiser and part car show held in the parking lot in front of Sears Hometown on Whiskey Road.
Alan Glover, owner of Sears Hometown, said he came up with the idea to host the event and wanted to make it into something fun that would draw people in to be a part of the fun.
“I’ve been seeing a lot of the negative things going on in society today, in regards to law enforcement, and I’ve got a lot of familythat is in law enforcement and are first responders,” Glover said. “I just felt like police and first responders need to be shown some support and respect, too. So, this event is really just for them. We’re here and safe right now because these people watch over us and protect us.”
While sorting out all of the details for his first event, Glover said he decided it would be a good idea to involve Support 1 into the mix.
Support 1 is a non-profit organization that deals directly with critical incident stress management for first responders, police officers, firefighters, EMS and 911 dispatch communicators, said Michael Ford, vice chairman and co-founder of Support 1.
“What we do is make sure our first responders are taken care of and know how to deal with these incidents in a healthy fashion,” Ford said.
Money donations were accepted during Cruise-In For Cops and all the proceeds went directly to Support 1, Glover said.
The third aspect of Saturday’s event was the car show, which brought in dozens of car enthusiasts.
“I’d say Cruise-In For Cops was a hit,” Glover said. “We got a good crowd of people over here and helped out a local organization that does really great things for members of our community. I definitely am now considering doing another event sometime in the future, but maybe at a larger location.”
Tripp Girardeau is a local beat reporter with the Aiken Standard. Follow him on Twitter at @trippgirardeau.
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