FBI Jackson Announces 2013 Recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award

The Hundred Club of Jackson has been awarded the 2013 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award. Daniel McMullen, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Mississippi, presented the award to Dudley Wooley, a board member and representative of The Hundred Club of Jackson, during the Jackson Field Office All-Employee Conference on Friday, December 6, 2013.

Since 1990, the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) has been a principal means by which the FBI has publicly recognized the achievements of individuals and organizations who have worked diligently to support and promote public safety efforts within their community. Each of the FBI’s field offices selects one individual or organization each year to receive this award.

The Hundred Club was nominated for the 2013 Jackson Field Office, FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award in recognition of the 52 years of community service its members have provided to families of fallen officers within the Jackson Police Department, the Jackson Fire Department, and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office.

The first chapter of The Hundred Club was founded in 1952 in Detroit, Michigan. Originally consisting of 100 prominent businessmen (from whence it got its name), its mission was to provide the following assurance to the police and firemen within its territory: within 24-hours, the surviving spouse will have $1,000 in cash in their hands; current bills will be paid; and, if a debt or mortgage existed on the home, arrangements would be underway to clear it entirely. This contribution was designed to lift from the family the burdens of financial worry that are often born of and compound the tragedy of losing a loved one.

The Hundred Club of Jackson was founded in August 1961, the 12th Club formed in the United States. Its mission, like that of the original Club, is to be the first responder to families of officers within the Jackson Police Department, the Jackson Fire Department, and the Hinds County Sheriff’s Department who are killed in the line of duty. An elected Board of Directors conducts the affairs of the Club, and there are no paid staff members. The Club assists the families by providing for their immediate needs, such as financial, advisory, and moral support.

In recent years, the Jackson Club has extended its mission to include considerations of grant requests that support the ongoing efforts of Jackson’s public safety components, as well as to provide an honorarium for the officers selected as Officer of the Year at an annual banquet.

The Hundred Club recognizes the debt the community owes the men and women who protect and serve. The Club was founded for the sole purpose of honoring that debt. In the wake of tragedy, the families of these men and women have benefitted not only from the Club’s first response but also from the expertise of the membership in the form of advice and counsel as needed on matters of the law, investments, and financial planning. In a larger sense, The Hundred Club of Jackson serves as a living memorial to fallen law enforcement officers and firemen and an ongoing tribute to their sacrifice and selflessness.

Within the last 12 months, the Jackson Police Department experienced the loss of two of its officers. A member of the Jackson Police Department stated that a representative of The Hundred Club was in contact with the Department within 24 hours of each loss to establish a line of communication with the Police Department regarding the immediate needs of both officers’ families.

According to The Hundred Club of Jackson, the men and women to whom they provide support risk their lives daily to protect our community from violence, crime, fire, and disaster. They do this willingly, knowing that risk is part of their jobs. The community, however, should never dismiss the risk these men and women take, nor their diligence and commitment.

“On behalf of Director James Comey,” stated SAC McMullen, “the Jackson Field Office of the FBI is pleased to present the 2013 Director’s Community Leadership Award to The Hundred Club of Jackson because of their strong support of and commitment to the officers of the Jackson Police Department, Fire Department, and Hinds County Sheriff’s Office—serving and protecting the families of those who serve and protect us.”