The 100 Club of Houston to be Awarded Prestigious FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2012
| FBI Houston December 31, 2012 |
Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Stephen L. Morris of the Houston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced that The 100 Club of Houston will be awarded the prestigious FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award for 2012.
Established in 1990, the Director’s Community Leadership Award is presented each year by FBI field offices to individuals and organizations who have made a positive impact within their community through their achievements in crime prevention, drug deterrence, or other programs which promote public safety and well being.
The 100 Club of Houston is a non-profit organization initiated in 1953, when 100 men each gave $100 to be used to assist the families of Houston police officers killed in the line of duty. The effort put forth by these men has developed into over a half-century of support for families of fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters in Houston and 17 surrounding counties as well as several statewide agencies. Today, The 100 Club of Houston has grown to more than 29,500 members.
The 100 Club of Houston experienced a record year in 2012. The organization typically supports three families due to line-of-duty deaths in an average year. This year, the community experienced the following seven deaths in the line of duty:
- Captain Thomas Dillion, Houston Fire Department, March 14
- Trooper Javier Arana, Texas DPS/El Paso, March 24
- Firefighter William R. Danes, Brazos County Precinct 3 Fire Department, May 17
- Constable Brian Bachman, Brazos County Precinct 1, August 13
- Captain Neal Smith, Atascocita Volunteer Fire Department, September 17
- Sergeant Paul Hernandez, Texas DPS/San Antonio, October 4
- Sergeant Jimmie Norman, Bellaire Police Department, December 24
The organization’s mission is to support three programs: (1) survivor support, assisting with funeral expenses, paying off of an existing mortgage on the family home, and assistance with the educational costs of the deceased’s children; (2) life protecting equipment for law enforcement; and (3) scholarship support for law enforcement. In 2012, survivor support exceeded $1.7 million; life protecting equipment for law enforcement was over $144,000; and scholarship support for law enforcement was $252,500. To date, over $34.4 million has been collected and dispersed.
“The generous support provided by The 100 Club of Houston to peace officers, firefighters, and especially the families of fallen comrades can never be measured,” said SAC Morris. “The Houston office of the FBI is honored to acknowledge The 100 Club’s support for surviving families and to recognize their commitment to the protection and professional development of all law enforcement officers. The assistance they offer truly provides peace of mind to friends and family of our law enforcement community. When Executive Director Richard Hartley accepts the award from FBI Director Robert Muller, it will showcase to the nation that Houston, Texas is home to a generous community who will forever support its law enforcement officers.”
Executive Director Richard Hartley will travel to Washington, D.C. to receive the award, along with other recipients from around the nation, from FBI Director Robert Mueller in a ceremony at FBI Headquarters in the spring of 2013.