Katie Dukeshire called the meeting to order and Peter Barcus led the Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements
- The District Conference will be held April 22-24. Please see Katie if you are interested in attending.
- Today was the first reading for Ben Wooten and the second reading for Kathleen Patterson.
Happy Clams
- Dick O’Donnell shared today was his wife’s birthday.
- Peter Barcus celebrated last week’s Annual Birthday Luncheon.
- Julian Griffin congratulated his son-in-law, Frank Hope, on his retirement from the City of Burlington after 28 years of service.
James Perry – NC Law Enforcement Assistance Program
Dennis Franks has been in North Carolina since 2012 and previously lived in Illinois where he was also a member of Rotary. His previous Rotary club sang four songs each week at their meetings so he is grateful The Rotary Club of Alamance chooses not to sing! Dennis introduced our speaker, James Perry, who is currently the Assistant Police Chief in Elon and a member of the NC Law Enforcement Assistance Program (LEAP).
LEAP supports not only law enforcement but also firefighters and dispatchers. All jobs carry some level of stress but stressors in law enforcement are unique. Their stress comes from the risk associated with the job, the “untrusting” nature officers are forced to have and the toil that comes from 12 hour shifts. The life expectancy of an officer after retirement is only five years.
Most companies offer Employee Assistance Programs and EAP programs are helpful with financial or marital issues. Unfortunately, EAP programs are not as familiar with law enforcement stressors. “Cops trust cops” so LEAP proves to have better results than EAP.
Perry knows firsthand how important LEAP can be in times of need. Perry witnessed a fatality on University Drive in 2011 when a drunk driver struck a woman standing beside Perry on the side of the road. The incidence affected Perry like no other. He was unable to sleep and began to have nightmares and no longer enjoyed running as he had in the past. He also struggled with the guilt of “if I had not pulled her over, she would still be alive today.”
Perry says by divine intervention he met the Executive Director of LEAP and was able to attend a Post Critical Incidence Seminar. The seminars usually hold around 40 participants and everyone has an opportunity to tell their story. The participants are grouped into small groups based on like incidences. Attending the seminar was very helpful for Perry to began to move forward.
Perry organizes the Charity Car Show each year to benefit LEAP. This year’s event will be held on May 28th for anyone interested. Special thanks to Bank of North Carolina for their annual event sponsorship.
Card Drawing
Kathleen Patterson did not draw the winning card.
Upcoming Program Schedule
- March 8 – Dale Greeson
- March 15 – Mike Dunning
- March 22 – James Honeycutt
The meeting was adjourned and we all stood to recite the Rotary Four Way Test. Until next time…