This Charity Fund-Raiser is a 'Slam Dunk!'

VCU Police joined Phi Kappa Sigma’s “Dunk A Cop” to raise more than $1,200 for charity

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Members of the VCU Police Department proved they are good sports while taking the plunge in the “2012 Charity Dunk A Cop” fund-raiser in the University Student Commons Plaza.

The effort was put together by Phi Kappa Sigma’s Delta Upsilon Chapter at VCU and raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on behalf of the fraternity and for Virginia Special Olympics on behalf of the police department.

“We’ve been working together on this for about four months,” said Khiem Tran, director of philanthropy for the fraternity, who said the police department didn’t hesitate in joining the effort from the start. “They were really gung ho.”

Throughout the afternoon, one officer after another climbed on to a seat perched above the tank of water, hurling insults at the people who were throwing balls at a target in hopes of dunking them.

The seven new recruits in the 37th Basic Police Academy took turns trying to dunk Chief John Venuti. But none of their throws hit the target.

“Do you really want to do this? Do you really want to mess with your future?” Venuti said to them, bringing a roar of laughter from the crowd.

Participants were given the option of buying tickets to take a chance at knocking the officers into the water by throwing balls at the target or paying $10 to walk up and hit the target with their hands.

And while several people responded to the police slams with a hand-pressed dunk, no one managed to hit the target with a ball for a lengthy spell.

The first two officers, Barney Burns and Matt Ruland, escaped without being knocked into the water from a ball hitting the target. Then, with his turn in the hot seat about to end, it appeared Venuti was also going to be spared. But his luck ran out when, to the delight of the crowd, junior mass communications major Kody Smith finally hit the target with the last ball he threw.

“It was awesome, man,” Smith said as Venuti climbed out of the water.

In addition to Venuti, Burns and Ruland, Captain Mike O'Berry, Captain Grant Warren, Assistant Chief Chris Preuss, Officer Stephen Adt, Officer Joe Demro, Officer Shawn Kelley, Officer Blake Neace and Corporal Rebecca Ellison participated.
   
The event raised more than $1,200, which will be split between the two charities.