Grayson County law enforcement’s “Behind the Badge” fund and local nonprofit organizations received a combined $60,000 in donations from a recent “Raft Up” event held on Nolin River Lake.
Over 500 boats participated in the event, according to Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins. And on Saturday, event organizers presented a $30,000 check to Chaffins for Grayson County law enforcement’s “Behind the Badge” fund. Most of the the money will be used for the sheriff office’s “Shop with a Cop” program.
Another $30,000 was earmarked for the Grayson Co. High School Bass Fishing team ($500), Knights of Columbus’ “Shop with a Knight & Back to School with a Knight” ($2,000), Family Resource Centers in Edmonson, Hart and Grayson counties ($4,000 each), Leitchfield Lions Club ($3,500), Butterfly Farms (a gospel-centered nonprofit dedicated to empowering women survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking, $5,000), Kentucky Fish & Wildlife’s “Sponsor a Camper” ($2,000), and Edmonson County’s “Santa’s Helping Hands” ($5,000).
“Our team worked long and hard to make this happen, but we could not have accomplished this without the help of all our sponsors and the support of everyone chipping in to make ‘Raft Up’ so successful this year. Raising this much allowed us to reach further out … to more of the local communities to give back,” ‘Raft Up’ spokesman Brent Schaber said.
Chaffins — who noted that courtesy of “Behind the Badge,” his office awarded fifteen $1,000 scholarships to graduating GCHS seniors this year — said most of the $30,000 “Ramp Up” donation will be used to “fund Grayson County law enforcement’s ‘Shop with a Cop’ where we spend over $25,000 for our local children and their families.”
“We are forever grateful for the ‘Raft Up’ sponsors and organizers for their volunteerism and support of our program,” Chaffins stated.
“Behind the Badge” bettering the community
In addition to awarding $1,000 scholarships to 15 GCHS graduating seniors earlier this year, “Behind the Badge,” as K105 reported in December, allowed the sheriff’s office to purchase a Grayson County woman a new vehicle so she could travel to and from cancer treatments in Louisville.
“We have also matched up to $5,000 for others battling cancer and held fundraisers to alleviate some of the financial burdens from being off from work,” Chaffins said. “And we have provided shelter, food, and gas cards to domestic violence victims while they planned for more permanent housing. There are so many endeavors that ‘Behind the Badge’ helps and it has become a great charity that has benefited hundreds of Grayson County families.”
“Behind the Badge” additionally allowed the sheriff’s office to pay for caps and gowns for graduating Grayson Co. High School seniors who could not afford the purchases.
(Photo l-r: Julie Kolb, Brent Schaber, Sheriff Norman Chaffins, Jessica Schaber, Megan Keane)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
