THOMASTON – The Special Olympians in the Camden/Thomaston area love to attend winter and summer Olympic Games, held annually in Maine. They run. They jump. They swim, and they throw.

As became apparent when questioning several groups of athletes during the annual Applebees Tip-A-Cop fundraiser for Special Olympics, the athletes have come to believe that police officers are a major reason for why they are able to attend those Games.

This year’s Tip-A-Responder, (a preferred moniker of local organizer Troy Peasley, of the Rockland Police Department), took place Thursday, Sept. 20. 

Those responders responded, as they have for six or seven years.

Because of the continued labor of love this year, the Thomaston contingent shattered their previous records and set a new state record. This year’s total, which includes donations accumulated in silent auction, raffle ticket sales, and two other Applebees fundraisers, rose to $5,031.

Eighteen volunteer responders from five police departments, two fire departments, and two correctional facilities assisted wait staff with the ordering, serving, and acknowledgments of birthdays of the evening.

But first, those volunteers had to be found. Justin Hills, of the Waldoboro Police Department, invited members of the corrections facilities, as well as the fire departments and EMS, according to Peasley.

At the same time, Peasley scoured the police departments, tagged people on Facebook, and carried posters. All this as a determined effort to keep the fundraiser from petering out the way the it had three years ago. That year, according to Peasley, only police helped out, and only $500 was raised.

Those tips are a separate donation from the tips to waitstaff, but still, diners have returned, and they’ve been generous.

The previous two years, with the addition of Fire and EMS, the event not only sparked a comeback, but set a state record in 2016 with $3,100, and came within $50 of it in 2017, Peasley said, as he greeted patrons, monitored responder engagement, and kept mascots Sparky and McGruff in check.

“We were over $3,000 (per year) in the last two years, and just in three hours,” he said.

“The police officers did this for us,” said Cassidy, an athlete from Rockland.

The 18 volunteers from the 2018 Tip-A-Cop fundraiser in Thomaston were:

Troy Peasley, Rockland Police Department

Justin Hills, Waldoboro Police Department

Tim Hoppe, Olaf Sigaud, Juan Alcala, Jake Labo, Noah Stevens, Thomas Eager; all of the Thomaston Police Department

Chris Taylor, Rockport Police Department

Scott Entwistle, Camden Police Department

Davonte Curtis, Jake Simmons; Maine Department of Corrections (Prison Guards)

Steve Gilman, Shawn Wallace, Amber Kirkham; Knox County Corrections (Jail Guards)

Rusty Barnard, Dennis Camber; Rockland Fire Department

Jess Ward; Rockport Fire Department

All donations are given to Special Olympics Maine, according to Peasley. The organization then decides how to disperse the money.

Other participating Applebees venues include:

• 9/21 – Portland Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 9/21 – Brunswick Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 9/28 – Sanford Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 9/29 – Auburn Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 10/5 – Augusta Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 10/5 – South Portland Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 10/5 - Portland Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 10/12 – Oxford Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM
• 10/12 – Windham Tip-A-Cop, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Another way to donate through Applebees is a state-wide Tip-A-Cop and Dining to Donate Fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 11 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., wherein Applebee’s will donate 15 percent of all food and beverage sales directly to Special Olympics.

The 18 volunteers from the 2018 Tip-A-Cop fundraiser in Thomaston were:

Troy Peasley, Rockland Police Department

Justin Hills, Waldoboro Police Department

Tim Hoppe, Olaf Sigaud, Juan Alcala, Jake Labo, Noah Stevens, Thomas Eager; all of the Thomaston Police Department

Chris Taylor, Rockport Police Department

Scott Entwistle, Camden Police Department

Davonte Curtis, Jake Simmons; Maine Department of Corrections (Prison Guards)

Steve Gilman, Shawn Wallace, Amber Kirkham; Knox County Corrections (Jail Guards)

Rusty Barnard, Dennis Camber; Rockland Fire Department

Jess Ward; Rockport Fire Department

Law Enforcement have been the “Keepers of the Flame” for Special Olympics since the first Law Enforcement Torch Run started in 1981 after Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver asked law enforcement to be the ambassadors for Special Olympics.

The Attorney General’s Office of Maine has given law enforcement permission to raise money for Special Olympics through Law Enforcement Torch Run fundraising events.  

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com