Honorary members help send kids to camp

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 from across New York State attend the sheriffs’ camp annually 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 41st year of operation.

•Criminal Justice Scholarship Program: The scholarship programprovides one scholarship to the Criminal Justice Program at each of New York State’s Commu-

nity Colleges. This program aims to attract the best and the brightest to the criminal justice vocation.

•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 receive alerts when those orders are served.

“The Sheriff’s Institute is our partner in providing programs that help the people in our communities,” Maciol said. “But we really rely on the support of our honorary members for the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp. Their support allows us to send economically disadvantaged children to camp. These kids wouldn’t have a chance to go away to camp otherwise.”

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.

PHOTO COURTESY ONEIDA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE The Sheriffs’ Summer Camp gives boys and girls from economically challenged circumstances an opportunity to experience all the traditional activities of summer camp while interacting with deputies from around New York State. Here a deputy conducts a...