Capt. Theresa Penn from Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Institution in Connecticut greeted visitors from on top of a Dunkin’ Donuts for 75 hours straight. She and coworkers raised more than $5,000 over the weekend.
“It was a community event,” Penn said. “Some people came out ever single day to see if I was there.”
The new “Cop on Top” fundraiser puts officers with bullhorns on top of participating donut shops to encourage people to donate money to Special Olympics. The program has been popular in Connecticut, with more events already scheduled for the rest of the year.
Staff from Special Olympics Connecticut also solicited funds from donut shop customers and helped the officers atop the building, bringing them water, sleeping bags, and other necessities during the cops’ all-day, sometimes all-night stints.
In addition to providing food and drink for the officers, Dunkin’ Donuts donated five cents from every sale during the weekend.
Cop on Top programs will be held throughout the state again in September. For more information visit the Special Olympics Connecticut Website, www.soct.org.
