The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Browns Backers donate to FOP Cops and Kids program
The Black River Browns Backers presented a $2,300 donation the Fraternal Order of Police Lorain Lodge on Oct. 27 to support their annual Cops with Kids program.
The program began in 2012 as a way to build relationships in the community by taking underprivileged children shopping for Christmas presents.
President Robert “Ozzie” Osburn said the organization, in its third year since forming in 2015, wanted to come back with a bang after making a $500 donation in 2016. The group gathers every Sunday at the American Croatian Club at 4846 Oberlin Ave.
Following a golf tournament at Lorain’s FoxCreek Golf and Raquet Club, 5445 Beavercrest Drive on Aug. 20, the Browns Backers donated all of their profits to the cause.
“Because we did it last year, why not do something a little better and bigger this year. We meet at the Croatian Club and guys wanted to have a golf outing; so we said let’s do both. Whatever we make we can donate to Cops and Kids,” Osburn said.
The Browns Backers plan to participate again next year and are hoping to make it annual tradition. As a member of the Worldwide Browns Backers, it is part of their charter to be charitable and get involved in their communities.
“We decided to keep it in Lorain, and that’s what we thought was one of the better things we could do.”
Lorain officer Kyle Gelenius added there are already more than 100 applications from area children for the planned Dec. 16 shopping trip. He said the more money they can raise, the more children they will be able to accept.
“We had a 17-year-old kid that my partner was paired with, and my partner Jessie Perkins who runs the program saw this kid was upset. So he asked him, ‘Are you sure you’ve got everything?’ Well he couldn’t find cologne and he had never had cologne in his life so he ended up finding cologne for him and he was ecstatic. It’s really a sad situation for some of these kids. They’ll tell you how they live in an alley and stuff like that,” Gelenius said.
“Unfortunately poverty is a problem in our city. This is one way to show them that police officers are here to help them and to have a good interaction with us instead of interacting with us only when we are called to them,” Gelenius said. “The officers enjoy doing this and obviously community organizations like the Browns Backers make this possible.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the program can do so in person at the Lorain Police Department at 200 W. Erie Ave. to the Lorain Police Officers Charitable Foundation Inc. or through the FOP’s GoFundMe campaign.