It’s the sixth day of my 12 Days of Charitable Giving. Readers have suggested deserving charities over the past few weeks, and I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way). Today’s charity is the Police Unity Tour.
The Police Unity Tour has as its motto, “We ride for those who died.” The organization was founded in May 1997 the Police Unity Tour by Officer Patrick P. Montuore of the Florham Park Police Department, who wanted to bring public awareness to police officers who died in the line of duty and also to honor their sacrifices.
The tour started with just 18 riders on a four-day fundraising bicycle ride from Florham Park, NJ to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Today, it has grown into nine chapters consisting of over 2200 members nationwide who make the trip annually.
Each year, there are approximately 60,000 assaults on law enforcement officers, resulting in nearly 16,000 injuries. In 2015, there were 120 law enforcement fatalities from January 1 through December 23. That number is up for 2016: there have been 139 law enforcement fatalities over the same time period. That represents a 16% increase; law enforcement fatalities related to firearms increased by a whopping 68%.
Those officers leave behind friends, families, and colleagues who are devastated by the loss. You can read some of the personal tributes paid to their loved ones on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund website.
So how can you help?
To make a one-time donation by credit card, you can click over to the website.
Donations may also be sent by mail. Checks should be mailed to:
Police Unity Tour Inc.
P.O Box 528
Florham Park, New Jersey 07932
As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Select Check reveals that The Police Unity Tour is on the list. You’ll see it listed as “Group” by the IRS which is defined as “[g]enerally, a central organization holding a group exemption letter, whose subordinate units covered by the group exemption are also eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, even though they are not separately listed.” Sometimes you’ll see this referred to as an “umbrella organization” – a charity that is organized, typically on a national level, whose tax-exempt status extends to related organizations like local chapters.
To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website. You can also like them on Facebook.
I often suggest checking out third-party sites like Charity Navigator for more information about charitable organizations, including evaluations and access to tax forms and other financials. The Police Unity Tour is ranked by Charity Navigator here.
Remember: submissions to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving are made by readers, and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous. But be smart. Do your homework.
For more on making charitable donations, check out this prior post.
