| DEA Widows' and Children's Fund... When Charity Begins at Home |
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The
DEA maintains a charitable fund
— the DEA Widows’ and Children’s Fund — to tend to the health
and financial needs of DEA members, their spouses, and children.
One of the Fund’s primary functions is providing health benefits and
assistance with excessive medical bills. Currently, 61 families
of deceased NYPD Detectives have their health benefits premiums covered
by the Fund. Additionally, when any active
DEA member dies, the DEA provides a $10,000 funeral expense to the Detective’s
family, and then provides full DEA health benefits to the surviving
spouse and children until the youngest child reaches the age of 19 (or
23 if a full-time college student). The DEA Widows’ and Children’s
Fund was also a conduit for 9/11 police and fire relief, and
the DEA collected and distributed over 1.2 million dollars to
the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice when the World
Trade Center was attacked and destroyed. The DEA maintains a number
of trust funds on behalf of the children of deceased members: When two of our undercover
Detectives, James Nemorin and Rodney Andrews, were shot and killed
on Staten Island on March 10, 2003, the DEA Widows’ and Children’s
Fund immediately established the March 10th Undercover Fund,
a scholarship fund for the five children they left behind. This
fund assists with the educational needs of the children of these two
courageous police Detectives. With the tragic loss of
Detectives Patrick Rafferty and Robert Parker, shot and killed in
the line of duty on September 10, 2004, the DEA similarly set up educational
funds for the three children of Det. Rafferty. Additionally, the
union gives two scholarship awards to deserving children of DEA members
in the name of Det. Parker each fall. The union established
The Carrington Fund for the benefit of Niya Carrington, the young
daughter of NYPD Detective Sean Carrington, who was shot and
killed in the line of duty on January 19, 1998. The fund is set
up to help provide for Niya’s higher education. Most recently, the DEA has set up trust funds for the families of three of our members, including: the two young daughters of Det. Dillon Stewart, shot and killed in the line of duty on November 28, 2005; and Tyler Ann Zadroga, the young daughter of widower Det. James Zadroga, who passed away in January of 2006 of illnesses related to his work on the rescue and recovery efforts resulting from the World Trade Center attacks.
Financial support for the DEA
Widows’ and Children’s Fund is always gratefully accepted.
The fund has no overhead, as all labor, office space,
and expenses associated with operating it are under the auspices of
the DEA. The Fund is financed through
the sale of DEA promotional items, as well as through donations from
other foundations, corporations, individual civilian supporters, and
donations made by members of the law enforcement community, including
the DEA’s own generous membership. City workers can become bi-weekly
supporters of the DEA’s Widows’ and Children’s Fund through payroll
deduction with the Combined Municipal Campaign (CMC). Donations
can be as small as one dollar ($1.00) per payday.
The DEA Widows’ and Children’s Fund’s CMC code number is 1979.
Federal employees can also contribute through the Combined Federal
Campaign (CFC). The DEA Widows’ and Children’s
Fund can also accept select new product donations that can be either
raffled off for the Fund or can be distributed to children at one of
the many events handled by the DEA’s Entertainment or Public Relations
Committees. The Fund is a 501(c)(3) charity
and all donations to the Fund are tax-deductible. Donations
can be earmarked specifically for any of the above-mentioned trusts
or simply sent to the Fund in general by writing a check or money order
payable to the DEA Widows’ and Children’s Fund. Please mail donation(s) to
…
The Detectives’ Endowment Association, Inc.
To all
those who have given so generously to this Fund throughout the years, |