Sheriff’s Institute fundraiser

UTICA, N.Y. » Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol encourages residents to support the New York State Sheriffs’ Institute, which began its annual Honorary Membership drive in Oneida County this week.

The Sheriffs’ Institute was established in 1979 to advance criminal justice education, prevent juvenile delinquency, and support victims of crime and their families. Their programs include:

Sheriffs’ Summer Camp: Almost 900 children fromacross New York State attend the sheriffs’ camp for economically challenged children, which is located on Keuka Lake. The Sheriffs’ Institute pays all costs for the campers, including transportation, a week of camp, meals, and traditional camp activities like sailing, archery, and crafts. The camp is in its 42nd year of operation.

Criminal Justice Scholarship Program: The scholarship program provides one scholarship to the Criminal Justice Program at each of New York State’s Community Colleges. This program aims to attract the best and the brightest to the criminal justice vocation.

Crime Victim Notification Programs: The Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline provides automated notification to registered victims when an inmate is released. The Sheriffs’ Order of Protection Notification Program allows individuals who have been granted Family Court orders of protection to re- ceive alerts when those orders are served.

“The Sheriffs’ Summer Camp might be more important now than ever,” Maciol said. “And it is completely supported by our honorary members. Their donations allow us to send at-risk children to camp to spend a week doing traditional camp activities. At the end of the week, the deputies there put on their uniforms and these kids learn that we are on their side, that we are human.”

For more information about the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp and other Sheriffs’ Institute Programs, visit www.sheriffsinstitute.org. The Sheriffs’ Institute is a not-for-profit, tax- exempt organization.