Police get $10,000 grant for K-9 unit

Despite the rivalry between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger decided to give back through grants to both the Lorain Police Department and the Medina County Sheriff’s Office.

The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund announced Sept. 7 it will award $10,000 in grants to Lorain police, which is the first grant awards of the 2017 season, Lorain police Lt. Michael Failing said.

Lorain police will use the grant funds to update their K9 training equipment.

“We plan to use the money to set up kennels at our substation to house our own dogs when the handlers go on vacation,” Failing said. “It will also allow us to hold stray dogs in the community we may pick up until the owner can be reached.”

Lorain police Chief Cel Rivera was thankful for the donation as well.

“The Lorain Police Department would like to thank the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation for their generous donation, which will help ensure our K9 program continues to serve our community as well as surrounding communities for years to come,” Rivera said.

During the 2017 NFL season, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation will distribute grants to K9 units of police and fire departments in cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers, a news release said.

This is the 11th season Roethlisberger’s foundation has distributed grants to K9 units.

The mission of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is to support K9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States, with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh.

Roethlisberger and his foundation also support Make-A-Wish.

The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation distributed more than $150,000 in grants to dog units around the country during the 2016 NFL season, including $76,000 in the Pittsburgh community, the release said.

It has distributed in excess of $1.65 million since 2007.

In addition, the Lorain County commissioners and the Solid Waste Management District announced Keep Lorain County Beautiful was awarded a $5,000 grant from Keep America Beautiful for their Lowe’s Community Grant.

The grant also will be given to the Lorain police K9 unit.

According to a media release from the commissioners, the police department will use funds to repurpose a vacant building, garages and the lot so that it can be utilized for training the entire department.

However, the grant focused on the K9 unit using the location for an agility and confidence course. The Police Department also will plant two pollinator gardens along with shrubs and trees around the agility course to shield it from public view, the release said.

Failing said the current agility course is around 25 to 30 years old.

“We are so ecstatic because this will alleviate a lot of costs for us,” he said.

The police department currently is in the process of planting the pollinator gardens, which should be done within the next two weeks, said Tiffany Barker, marketing coordinator for Solid Waste Management District.

“This is such an innovative and exciting project,” Barker said. “This is not something Keep America Beautiful typically funds, so it is nice that Lorain County is being put on a national map showcasing the creativity of the project.”