Two Greek organizations are teaming up this week to raise money for the UCF Police Department’s K-9 unit.
Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Chi organized a dinner and kickball tournament philanthropy to be held Tuesday, April 12.
The sorority will host dinner at the Tri Delta house starting at 4 p.m. Participants and spectators will migrate over to Lake Claire, where 16 teams will compete to be kickball champs.
Team spots to play in the kickball tournament already have been filled, but spectator tickets, which include dinner at Tri Delta, can be purchased at the door and will cost $10.
Organizers say the fundraiser is a way of bringing community service, an important tenet of Greek life, back to UCF by supporting a campus project. Each year, UCF’s Greek organizations contribute more than 50,000 hours of service to local philanthropies and community organizations.
“By bringing the UCF community together to raise money for the K-9 unit, it will not only benefit UCF but strengthen the relationship between UCFPD and the Greek community,” said Karis Lockhart, a sophomore public administration major who is organizing the fundraiser.
“UCFPD does so much for the Greek community to ensure our members stay safe, and this is just one way for us to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of not only Tri Delta, but Greek life as a whole,” Lockhart said.
Money raised from the event will support the future purchase of a police dog, as well as the cost of training, buying equipment for the animal and its handler, and purchasing a specially designed car.
The average untrained police dog can cost nearly $10,000, and officers and dogs must train together for nearly 500 hours before earning certification.
The UCF Police Department includes four K-9s and their trainers. Two of the dogs sniff for drugs and paraphernalia, and the other two are trained in detecting explosives.
The dogs are used for traffic stops and area checks before large campus events. UCFPD’s K-9 unit also supports other local agencies, helping to train their K-9 teams or serving as back-up for agencies who don’t have K-9s or whose dogs are unavailable.
Max, UCFPD’s 8-year-old narcotics detection dog, is in good health, but the average police dog retires between ages 8 and 10. Funds raised next week are expected to support the purchase of his replacement.