SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Police Relief Association is planning a poker run on May 15 to raise money for the 118-year-old charity that aids the families of former officers. Officer Rachel Thomas, president of the association, said the poker run begins at Zuber's Ice Cream and Deli and ends at American Legion Post 338, 49 Powder Mill Road, Southwick....
The Springfield Police Relief Association will conduct a poker run on May 15. Riders such as those shown here in this file photo will meet up in Westfield, ride through the Berkshires and then meet up in Southwick.SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Police Relief Association is planning a poker run on May 15 to raise money for the 118-year-old charity that aids the families of former officers.
Officer Rachel Thomas, president of the association, said the poker run begins at Zuber's Ice Cream and Deli and ends at American Legion Post 338, 49 Powder Mill Road, Southwick.
Registration is from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., and a lunch will be served following the ride.
The run will take riders on a trip through the Berkshires before heading back to Southwick, she said.
The entry fee is $25 for each rider, and $5 per passenger. An extra poker hand is $5.
There will also be a classic car and bike show as part of the event. Entry for that is $10.
For more information, call Thomas at (413) 787-6392.
Thomas said organizers hope to raise between $2,000 and $3,000, and all proceeds will go to the Springfield Police Relief Association.
The association was formed as a private benevolent organization by city police officers in 1893, she said. Initially, the association would provide a stipend of up to $1 per day for any dues-paying officer who was injured and could not work, and $200 to the family of any officer upon his death, she said.
At that time, police had no union, no labor contract, and no benefits such as sick leave, health insurance and retirement pensions. Over the years the $1 stipend for injury pay was eliminated as officers gained benefits, and the death benefit was increased to $1,000, she said.
Thomas said the association membership has been declining for years, as younger officers with the department did not join. A recruitment effort over the last year has nearly doubled membership, she said.
Anyone seeking more information about the event can call her at the office of the police Special Victims Unit at police headquarters, (413) 787-6392.