Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association and Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy Thank 100 Club for $30,000 Donation
| PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association (RIPCA) Executive Director Sidney Wordell and President Brian Sullivan, and Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy (RIMPTA) Executive Director Lt. Christopher Zarrella are pleased to announce a donation made last week to the Academy by the 100 Club of Rhode Island. |
| The donation, which totals $29,985.95, was voted on by the 100 Club on Thursday, June 18. The money will be used to purchase a variety of training and fitness equipment used at the Academy. |
| “I can’t say enough good things about the 100 Club for all they do,” Lt. Zarrella said. “They learned of our need for new equipment and were quick to answer the call and provide the necessary funding. Their support was unanimous, and everyone at the Rhode Island Municipal Police Training Academy thanks them for their tremendous support.” |
| Zarrella first mentioned the need for new equipment to 100 Club President Joseph Terino earlier this year. Terino, a RIPCA member and former Rhode Island fire chief, was familiar with the Academy and eager to help, even attending a training session to see first-hand the Academy’s need for new equipment. |
| «Our trainings at the Academy are very hands-on, and having the proper gear is vital to ensuring recruits receive the most thorough and comprehensive instruction possible,» Lt. Zarrella said. «This donation will allow us access to state-of-the-art equipment in teaching use-of-force classes, deescalation techniques, physical fitness and wellness programs, and more.» |
| The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the process, but when Terino was installed as the new 100 Club President at last Thursday’s board meeting, one of his first orders of business was to request the money for the donation. |
| “We had a meeting over Zoom, and I read off a list of each piece of equipment they needed to the group,” Terino said. “I told my fellow members about their need, and we were all in agreement that making this donation to the Academy fit perfectly with our mission of supporting first responders across the state.” |
| Terino informed Zarrella on Friday, June 19 that the donation was official, and Zarrella hopes a significant portion of the equipment will be ready in time for the start of the Academy’s summer session on July 27. |
| “The 100 Club has a long history of supporting first responders and their families throughout the state of Rhode Island,» Executive Director Wordell said. “The new equipment that will be purchased as a result of this donation will have a direct impact on the recruits who will be entering the field, and on behalf of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs’ Association I thank them for their continued generosity and support.” |