Press release:
The New York State Sheriffs' Association Institute will begin its annual Honorary Membership Drive in Genesee County within the next few days, according to Sheriff Gary T. Maha.
The institute was established in 1979 and is a nonprofit, tax-exempt corporation, and contributions to it are tax deductible.
While the Sheriff's Office is a unit of county government, many of the concerns of Sheriffs and other law enforcement agencies are best addressed on a statewide level. The Sheriffs' Institute provides centralized training programs and services for all Sheriffs offices where those programs and services would be unavailable or impractical on a single-county basis.
The flagship program of the Sheriffs' Institute is the Sheriffs' Summer Camp for economically challenged children. This camp, in its 37th year of operation, is located on Keuka Lake and 840 children statewide attend each summer. The institute pays the entrie cost of the camp stay and transportation. Most children attending wouldn't otherwise have an opportinuty for vacation travel or a summer camp experience.
The Sheriffs' Camp program conbines summer recreation with activities designed to teach an understanding of, and respect for, our laws and the men and women who enforce them. The strong camper-to-counselor ration allows for individual attention with an emphasis on the development of self-esteem.
"In these difficult economic times we cannot forget our youth who will not have the opportunity for a summer camp experience or a summer vacation," Sheriff Maha said. "By becoming an Honorary Member you are supporting the Sheriffs' Summer Camp for economically disadvantaged children."
In addition, the Sheriffs' Institute operates a scholarship program that provides one scholarship to each of New York State's Community College Justice Programs. This program is designed to help attract the best and the brightest to the criminal justice vocation.
For more information about the Sheriffs' Summer Camp and other Sheriffs' Institute Programs, visit www.sheriffsinstitute.org
