On September 14, hundreds of community members gathered at the Las Vegas Ballpark to cheer on Valley first responders at the Police vs. Fire Charity Baseball Game, sponsored by the law firm of Eglet Adams Eglet Ham Henriod. The teams faced off in a friendly but fiercely competitive back-and-forth match. Throughout the game, our police brothers put up a hard fight, but ultimately fell short, losing 10–9 to the firefighters.

At the end of the day, both teams walked away as winners, as the game was about much more than taking home the title — it was about supporting the LVPPA’s Law Enforcement Assistance Fund (LEAF) and the Professional Fire Fighters of Nevada (PFFN) Benevolent Association, two local charities that are dedicated to helping first responders and their families in times of need. We were proud to build off the success of the George Maloof Police vs. Fire Charity Football Game held earlier this year and collaborate once again with PFFN to raise more funds for our causes as well as awareness about the vital work we do to help those who selflessly protect and serve our communities.

With that said, I wanted to take the time to talk about why LEAF exists and why our members and the community at large should consider donating to our charity as we approach the end of the year, which is also known as the giving season.

The LVPPA established LEAF in 2008 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the surviving families of Southern Nevada law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. When you donate to LEAF, you help make it possible for the LVPPA to stay in the lives of fallen officers’ families and make sure they are always remembered. We provide college scholarships to surviving children and spouses; attend milestone events ranging from birthdays and holidays to graduations and weddings; offer financial assistance to families for unforeseen expenses following a member’s death; assist children’s and members’ athletic teams, events and other Board-approved charitable activities and organizations; and so much more.

We are able to accomplish LEAF’s mission through the donations we receive from our Police vs. Fire football and baseball games and various other fundraising events throughout the year. These initiatives help grow our fund, which, in turn, helps us do even more for the families of the fallen and our community. Our charity is also funded year-round by our members who have enrolled in payroll deductions for LEAF. We are immensely thankful for all the support we receive — but we believe we can raise even more support.

With the holiday season coming up, there’s no better time than now to give back to our charity. In honor of Giving Tuesday — an international day of charitable giving to worthy causes, taking place this year on December 3 — we hope you’ll consider paying it forward to LEAF. If you are not currently enrolled in payroll deductions for LEAF, we encourage you to sign up today (go to LVPPA.com and navigate to the Members section under Forms, where you’ll find the Recurring Payroll Deductions Form). We also ask that you direct your friends and family to leafcharity.org, where they can sign up to make a one-time, monthly, quarterly or biannual donation to our organization.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. Thank you for your membership. Stay safe.