ORGANIZATIONS : Arresting Homelessness : Officers will team up with celebrities for a day of fund-raising events to help needy children and adults.

Last year, Phil Strenkowski went to the Caribbean for relaxation.

But the sight of dozens of children selling gum in the streets gave him something else--a cause.

“It reminded me of the homeless problem we have in our country,” says Strenkowski, a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy. “I had never thought of kids being homeless.”

Back home, along with fellow Deputy Mike Gurrola, Strenkowski organized an informal group of officers who devote some of their off-duty hours to benefit homeless children.

On Saturday, their work will pay off. About 200 officers from Los Angeles and Ventura counties will participate, along with celebrities, in a series of activities--tug-of-war, mile relay, obstacle course, doughnut-eating contest--at Thousand Oaks High School to raise money for three organizations that aid the homeless.

The event, called Code 3 for Kids--police lingo for an emergency response complete with flashing red lights and sirens--reflects the urgency of the homeless problem. However, this kind of police involvement might conflict with the public perception of law enforcement since the Rodney G. King beating last year.

“The police have had a lot of bad press lately, and there are many good police officers in this community,” says Pat Kealy, president of Better Valley Services in North Hollywood, one of the groups benefiting from the event. “This is very thrilling, especially when it’s done by the people who were supposed to be the bad guys.”

Two other groups that support homeless children and families, Para los Ninos in Skid Row and Interface in Camarillo, will also share in the funds raised Saturday.

While the benefit wasn’t organized to give a boost to the sagging image of the Los Angeles Police Department, Strenkowski says, it demonstrates that officers care about rebuilding the community.

“I’ve got the same concerns that everyone else has about the homeless. I just happen to have a gun and a badge. As police officers, we want to make an impact. We didn’t come on the job because we want to beat people.”

Pat Tomlin, associate director of Para los Ninos, says she was impressed by the officers’ role.

“I talked to them at night because they worked all day,” Tomlin says. “We have very, very few donors over the years who aren’t in our area. The police are very dedicated.”

Sgt. Dan Hoffman of the Police Department’s West Valley Division, who has worked on Skid Row, says police have always been sympathetic to the homeless problem.

“A lot of people think the homeless don’t want to work,” says Hoffman, “but many of them have had bad luck, and the kids aren’t responsible at all. They can’t help what’s happened to their parents.”

Still, Strenkowski admits that some officers, because of low morale caused by recent events, weren’t willing to participate.

“Some guys just wanted to do their eight hours at work and go home,” Strenkowski says. “I had a tough time getting teams together, and that’s sad.”

Furthermore, he believes that some corporations didn’t help sponsor the event because of the negative image of the force.

“Some companies just didn’t want anything to do with cops,” he adds.

Strenkowski hopes the event, which will be attended by such celebrities as George Hamilton, Ken Wahl, Presilla Barnes and Tony Danza, will raise $50,000. Ben Vereen was scheduled to be the host, but he remains hospitalized with injuries suffered in a car accident last week. Actor Martin Sheen will replace him. The benefit is not sponsored or endorsed by any law enforcement or government agency, but participants include officers from the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division, Simi Valley police and the California Highway Patrol.

Pat Kealy says the benefit is especially timely for his organization, which provides shelter, food and clothing for homeless children in the San Fernando Valley.

“Most of the foundations that normally give to smaller nonprofit groups like us are now only giving their money to places like United Way and the Red Cross,” Kealy says. “The smaller groups are getting lost.”

WHERE AND WHEN

Event: Code 3 for Kids.

Location: Thousand Oaks High School, 2323 Moorpark Road.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Price: $6.

Call: (818) 889-7214.