On the Town: K9 and mounted units get some backup
Hands, hoofs and paws came together to raise funds for the Burbank Police Foundation during the organization’s second annual Hoof and Walk event held this past Saturday at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank.
Chaired by Andrea Cunningham, who oversaw the event committee comprised of Susan Augustine, Anita Hutchinson, Alan Arozian and Chris and Shelley Rizzotti, the mustering of human, equine and canine participants was staged to raise funds for the Burbank Police Department’s K9 and mounted units.
Sponsored by the Walt Disney Co. and numerous Burbank businesses, individuals who helped make last week’s fundraiser a success included Denis Cremins, David and Pat Augustine, Michael Albanese, Lew Cunningham, Lin Kemmerer, Sydney Heins, Eric Benz, John and Patty Dilbert, former Mayor Marsha Ramos, Burbank Police Chief Scott LaChasse and officers and directors of the foundation Doug Smith, Jeff Cable, Claudio Losacco, Darin Ryburn, Chris Welker and former Mayor Michael Hastings, who serves as the group’s president.
The event kicked off with a horse-and-dog walk, and included K9 and mounted unit demonstrations by the Burbank Police Department, entertainment, dog adoption opportunities, pet organizations sharing information about spaying, neutering, microchipping and canine CPR, pet rescue and adoption groups, and a classic-car show presented by the Road Kings.
Among those who participated were Burbank Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy and her husband, Bill Luddy, Councilman Jess Talamantes, Councilman Bob Frutos and his wife, Laura, and local Realtor Alisa Cunningham, who also served as an event sponsor.
The foundation is a community-based organization that cultivates a partnership between the Burbank Police Department and the residents, businesses and institutions it serves, in order to enrich the community and to enhance police services.
Its purpose is to provide sponsorship and financial support for community programs to encourage all Burbankers to become active, involved and responsible in fighting crime and disorder.
The organization has also provided funding for the Matthew Pavelka Scholarship Fund, named after a Burbank police officer who was killed in the line of duty in 2003, and the Downed Officer’s Fund, which provides support to the surviving family members of fallen law-enforcement personnel.
For more information about the organization’s work, click on https://www.burbankpolicefoundation.org.
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DAVID LAURELL may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
