Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Chi organized a dinner and kickball tournament philanthropy to be held Tuesday, April 12.

The sorority will host dinner at the Tri Delta house starting at 4 p.m. Participants and spectators will migrate over to Lake Claire, where 16 teams will compete to be kickball champs.

Team spots to play in the kickball tournament already have been filled, but spectator tickets, which include dinner at Tri Delta, can be purchased at the door and will cost $10.

Organizers say the fundraiser is a way of bringing community service, an important tenet of Greek life, back to UCF by supporting a campus project. Each year, UCF’s Greek organizations contribute more than 50,000 hours of service to local philanthropies and community organizations.

“By bringing the UCF community together to raise money for the K-9 unit, it will not only benefit UCF but strengthen the relationship between UCFPD and the Greek community,” said Karis Lockhart, a sophomore public administration major who is organizing the fundraiser.

“UCFPD does so much for the Greek community to ensure our members stay safe, and this is just one way for us to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of not only Tri Delta, but Greek life as a whole,” Lockhart said.

Money raised from the event will support the future purchase of a police dog, as well as the cost of training, buying equipment for the animal and its handler, and purchasing a specially designed car.

The average untrained police dog can cost nearly $10,000, and officers and dogs must train together for nearly 500 hours before earning certification.

The UCF Police Department includes four K-9s and their trainers. Two of the dogs sniff for drugs and paraphernalia, and the other two are trained in detecting explosives.

The dogs are used for traffic stops and area checks before large campus events. UCFPD’s K-9 unit also supports other local agencies, helping to train their K-9 teams or serving as back-up for agencies who don’t have K-9s or whose dogs are unavailable.

Max, UCFPD’s 8-year-old narcotics detection dog, is in good health, but the average police dog retires between ages 8 and 10. Funds raised next week are expected to support the purchase of his replacement.

The nonprofit donated to UCFPD two custom-built canine tactical vests, which can be used to protect the dogs from an attack while they are working.

The vests were produced by K9 Tactical Gear. The two companies work together to raise funds for the thousand-dollar K-9 vests and to equip agencies around the country with them at low to no cost.

Kim Kapes, the director of the local refuge In Harmony With Nature Animal Haven and a member of the board for Canine Wounded Heroes, was the person who made it all happen for UCFPD.

“Our K-9 officers deserve the same level of protection and care that our human officers receive,” Kapes said.

Though the K-9 officers are not typically put in life or death situations, it’s better to have tools like the vests and not need them than to not have them in the case of an emergency.

“The vests are a great tool for our agency,” said UCFPD K-9 Trainer Corporal Chuck Reising. “The dogs are an important part of our team, and thanks to Kim and Canine Wounded Heroes, they are now better protected.”

Next up are two more vests for UCFPD’s other K-9s, Samson and Justice. Their vests also will be donated by Canine Wounded Heroes and were ordered this week.

To learn more about Canine Wounded Heroes or to donate, visit http://www.caninewoundedheroes.org/index.php.

An event next month also will help to raise funds for UCFPD K-9.

Delta Delta Delta and Sigma Chi are teaming up for a kickball fundraiser. The April 12th event, which will be held at Tri Delta and Lake Claire, will include food, games and dogs, with all proceeds going to UCFPD’s K-9 fund.

Learn more and donate to the cause at https://www.gofundme.com/ucfpdk9.

The sorority will host a barbecue at its house from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, to raise funds to support UCF Police’s K-9 program. Tickets cost $7, and UCF students, faculty and staff, and members of the community are invited to attend.

Nearly 1,000 tickets have already been sold for the event, which will be catered by Reed Anderson, chef at the Delta Delta Delta house.

Organizers say the fundraiser is a way of bringing community service, an important tenet of Greek life, back to UCF by supporting a campus project. Each year, UCF’s Greek organizations contribute more than 50,000 hours of service to local philanthropies and community organizations.

“We’re going to try to make it a tradition to find a need at UCF and finance support,” said Marissa De Los Reyes, the sorority member leading the event.

Money raised from the barbecue will support the purchase of an additional police dog, as well as the cost of training, buying equipment for the animal and its handler, and purchasing a specially designed car.

The UCF Police Department includes three K-9s and their trainers. One of the dogs sniffs for drugs and paraphernalia, and the other two are trained in detecting explosives. Funds raised will support a full-service K-9 team, which means the new dog will be able to track criminal suspects, search buildings and areas, and sniff for narcotics.

“As our student population grows and we host more events, our police department must grow to ensure the continued safety of our students, employees and visitors. The new K-9 team will help make our campus safer,” said Cpl. Chuck Reising, who oversees UCF’s K-9 unit.

Tickets for the barbeque can be purchased from De Los Reyes through Wednesday by calling 904-631-1872. Tickets can also be purchased at the event Thursday for $8.