19th Ward Ald. Matt O’Shea will host his third annual pancake breakfast benefiting the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s Get Behind the Vest initiative, Sun., Feb. 26, 8 a.m. to noon, St. John Fisher School, 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave. Admission is $5 per person or $25 for families.
O’Shea began hosting the pancake breakfast in 2015, and together with school fundraisers throughout the Beverly/Morgan Park and Mount Greenwood community, has raised over $53,000 for the Get Behind the Vest initiative to provide bullet proof vests for officers.
O’Shea will once again be working with local schools to organize “dress down days” and other student-based fundraisers to raise additional funds for bullet proof vests.
“Police officers around the country put their lives on the line each and every day to keep citizens safe, and we want to ensure that our Chicago Police officers return home to their families at the end of each shift,” said O’Shea. “We appreciate the dangerous work of Chicago Police officers, and want to protect those who protect us. Through the pancake breakfast and various school events, I hope to raise even more dollars than in years past to protect our officers.”
Bullet proof vests need to be replaced every five years at a cost to police officers of about $500 or more. Over the past three years, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation has replaced thousands of outdated bullet proof vests currently in use by Chicago Police Officers. The organization now works to provide an additional 500 vests per year.
The pancake breakfast is generously supported and co-hosted by the Original Pancake House – Beverly. All pancake batter, condiments and cooking supplies will be donated by the Harrigan Family, who have operated the Original Pancake House for more than 50 years. Other breakfast co-hosts are the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, 19th Ward Youth Foundation, Good Guy’s Apples and Sauce, Beverly Area Planning Association, Sen. Bill Cunningham, State Rep. Fran Hurley and Saint John Fisher Parish. Information about the breakfast: 773-238-8766. Information about the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation’s Get Behind the Vest initiative, www.getbehindthevest.org.
