Police to serve dinner at local Red Lobster
Red Lobster will give students the opportunity to be served by police officers
April 19.
City, county and state police officers will help serve dinner from 4 to 9 p.m.
at Red Lobster, 4062 E. Bluegrass Road.
Officers including Mount Pleasant Director of Public Safety Bill Yeagley and
Isabella County Sheriff Barry DeLau, will collect tips and donate them to Special
Olympics during the 14th annual Cops and Lobsters event.
The event began 20 years ago at a Red Lobster in Wichita, Kansas, and grew to
a national and then international event.
Special Olympics teamed Red Lobster with the Law Enforcement Torch Run, an organization
whose members are officers who raise funds for Special Olympics all year, according
to a press release.
“Red Lobster wanted to help Special Olympics raise money,” said Sharice
Clifton, Special Olympics special events manager for Michigan. “It was
a philanthropy-related partnership.”
Last year, the event raised a total of $1.2 million. Michigan raised $32,000
and the Mount Pleasant location raised about $1,000.
“I’m hoping to top that, so if we could do between 200 and 300 that
would be outstanding,” said Andy Squires, Red Lobster general manager.
“The Mount Pleasant Red Lobster continues to participate because Special
Olympics is a worthy cause,” Squires said. “It’s a chance to
give back to the event. It’s optional for a restaurant to participate and
obviously we do.”
The restaurant will also sell lobster hats for $5 and donate the money to Special
Olympics.
Special Olympics is an event which takes place at local, state, national and
international levels. Athletes are not required to pay to participate, and the
money raised benefits individual athletes. Money raised in Michigan will be
disbursed throughout the 39 local areas and at the state level.
“Special Olympics is an athletic and sporting competition for people with
mental retardation ages eight and up,” Clifton said. “You have to
go to a competition to understand. These are people with obvious challenges.
It gives them a goal to work toward. It gives them self satisfaction.”
Residents should attend the Cops and Lobsters fund raiser not only to donate
money, but to see officers in a different light, Clifton said.
“They can see how our law enforcement can help a philanthropy. They can
see a humanistic side to law enforcement.”
