Maricopa Optimists honor fire safety and law enforcement personnel

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One of the purposes of Optimist International is to inspire respect for law. The Maricopa Optimists’ Club did just that last Friday evening in an event designed to honor law enforcement officers and firemen who have dedicated their lives to serving and protecting all of us every day.

The awards ceremony, held in the Maricopa Elementary School cafeteria at 7 p.m., honored the following individuals:

Pinal County Sheriff Chris Vasquez
Maricopa-based Pinal County Sheriff’s Sergeant Kay Dickson
Ak-Chin Police Chief Henry Pena
Arizona Department of Public Safety Director Roger
Vanderpool

Ak-Chin Fire Chief Bill White
Maricopa Fire Safety Director Eddie Rodriguez, Sr.
Maricopa Fire Safety Captain Dan Ashton (Ashton was unable to attend due to being on site at the two-story model home fire in Maricopa Meadows that evening.)

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Judge Scott Sulley and honorees (left to right) Kay Dickson, Bill White, Roger Vanderpool, Chris Vasquez, Eddie Rodriguez and Henry Pena.

Among the guest speakers for the evening was Mayor Kelly Anderson. “I want to commend the Optimists for your visions and goals. You are always at the forefront with activities for kids. Those types of things build a community, not a mayor or a city council,” said Anderson.

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Guest speaker Mayor Kelly Anderson.

Incoming Arizona Optimists’ District Governor Jim Peckny explained a little about the Optimist clubs. “Optimists are all about helping kids. We do lots of hands on things with kids. Each club knows best what they can do in their community. There are 900 clubs in Arizona, and our goal is to reach 1000 this year.”

Commending the honorees, Peckny added, “You guys are out there on the line, keeping the peace and keeping us safe. We appreciate it.”

Justice of the Peace and Maricopa City Magistrate the Honorable Scott Sulley also gave a few remarks. He praised the contributions of the honorees as well as the Maricopa Optimist Club for hosting the Respect for Law ceremony.

Maricopa Optimist Club president Grace Gomez, assisted by master of ceremonies Tom Hill, presented awards to the law enforcement and fire safety individuals. The commendations said, in part, ” . . .for fulfilling personal obligations to fellow citizens and community.”

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Maricopa Optimist Club president Grace Gomez.

A raffle for goods and services from local merchants was held following the awards. Refreshments, including both police and fire department cakes, were also served.