Belz Factory Outlet World – Lakeland will present Concerns of
Police Officers (C.O.P.S.) Vice President Mike Rose with an oversized
check for $2,900.00 on Wednesday, March 20, 2002. Chief Buddy Andrews
and Chief Deputy Don Wright of the Shelby County Sheriff's Department
will be on hand for the check presentation ceremony and the reception
which will follow. The funds will directly benefit the West Tennessee
division of C.O.P.S., an organization that provides resources to assist
families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.
The donations were raised during a "Local Heroes Appreciation
Weekend" held November 17th and November 18th. The fundraiser,
which was a joint initiative of the Developers of Outlet Centers and
the Outlet Retail Merchants Association, asked more than 100 outlet
shopping centers nationwide to join together to recognize the contributions
of their local police, fire and emergency service professionals. Owners
of participating outlet stores contributed a percentage of their sales
during the weekend and Belz also made a direct donation to C.O.P.S.