Looking for a fun way to show your gratitude to Chief Koval & MPD? We're planning an appreciation event for the west district - and you're invited. Here's some initial information. . . BASIC DEETS: A casual appreciation event (open-house style), being held on Wednesday, October 5th at the west district. I haven't established an exact timeframe but it will run for several hours in the afternoon / early evening. WHO'S INVITED: This is a community event, so anyone can come to enjoy food and thank the officers in person. WHY JUST THE WEST DISTRICT?: We appreciate *all* Madison officers, but it's simpler to work with one district at a time. We live in this district and have gotten to know several of the officers. That said, if you work in another district, you and your loved ones are most welcome to attend. FACEBOOK PAGE: I *just* set this page up so it's still blank, but I'll be adding to it. Please "like" the page and invite others: https://www.facebook.com/Madison-Police-Department-West-District-Appreciation-Event-1801217800112227/ FOOD DONATIONS: We're asking local businesses for donations of food, beverages, and snacks. If you know of any area restaurants, caterers, or grocers who'd like to donate food or help sponsor the event, please get in touch with me via the Facebook plugin below or the special Facebook page (link above). Whenever I've run charity events, I've gone out of my way to thank donors - and will do my best to publicly thank anyone who helps sponsor this event. For this particular event, we're asking for food from businesses only, not individuals - although you're of course, welcome to treat the officers on your own as you wish. The City of Madison has specific policies guiding these types of events, so we can't give gifts to *individual officers* - but we can break bread with them as a community. Any questions? Just ask away. All the best. --Paula Fitzsimmons