Gilroy – Police are used to doing public service, but for a
cause, they’ll do table service, too.
Gilroy – Police are used to doing public service, but for a cause, they’ll do table service, too.
At the annual Tip-a-Cop fundraiser Thursday night, Gilroy officers will wait tables at Applebee’s, soliciting tips for Special Olympics Northern California. The event is part of a nationwide push to support the charity, which benefits developmentally-disabled athletes.
“Some officers do Tip-a-Cops, some do torch runs, some bag groceries … One guy is sitting on a billboard overnight, for pledges,” said Andrea Schofield, law enforcement liaison for Special Olympics Northern California. “It’s grassroots, and it’s a ton of fun.”
For a night, police take their direction from Applebee’s servers, chat with patrons and serve meals, said officer Felix Figueroa.
“We don’t want to get in the way!” joked Figueroa, who is coordinating the event this year for Gilroy police. “We don’t take their tips, but we have special envelopes at each table for the charity. It’s terrific, and for those of us who’ve never waited at a restaurant, it’s a whole different ballgame.”
Asked if officers have trouble learning to wait tables, Applebee’s general manager Jim Tonjum quipped, “Probably not as big a learning curve as it would be if servers were trying to be police!”
The event has raised more than $1,500 in past years, part of a $1 million Northern California campaign for Special Olympics. For the group’s clients, said Schofield, Special Olympics is more than an exercise opportunity.
“So many of our athletes turn 22, and they have to go to work programs,” Schofield said. “Special Olympics is their one constant, the one thing that doesn’t change from school to adulthood.”
Athletes from age 8 to 80-plus enjoy the program, Schofield added, and participate in sports ranging from floor hockey to bowling to gymnastics. It’s a blast, she said – and so is the Gilroy fundraiser that supports it.
“The guests always get a kick out of it,” said Tonjum.
