Our Mission
The Springfield Police Officers Association Foundation is a non-profit corporation and is organized exclusively for educational and charitable purposes for the benefit of promoting, benevolent, charitable and educational undertaking among police officers employed by the City of Springfield and to, among other things advocate on behalf of police officers and their families, bring awareness to the community of law enforcement needs and to provide funding for mental health assistance to police officers and their families.
Who We Are
Our community has been incredibly generous following high-profile incidents involving our police officers. However, there are also many other issues that don’t make headlines, such as an officer suffering from an extended illness like cancer, that can negatively impact their families when they are unable to work. Throughout its 54 years, the SPOA has provided financial aid and mental health assistance to numerous police officers and their families. The Foundation was recently established to bring greater focus to the challenges faced by law enforcement families and to ensure resources are in place long term to respond when they are in crisis. We want our officers to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing the Foundation is well equipped to meet the critical needs of their families when necessary.
What We Do
The Foundation stands ready to provide resources to help an officer’s family by providing financial aid and mental health services that may not otherwise be available to them. Assistance is provided upon request of any SPOA lodge member - it does not have to be requested by those who are immediately affected. The Foundation will pay for mental health counseling for officers and their families to ensure privacy and encourage seeking help.
“If you ask any police officer the primary concern they have related to the risks and challenges of their job, they will typically speak to the impact their service has on their families. That is their focus – the risks and burden law enforcement places on family members. The Foundation was created to help address that concern more effectively and ensure Springfield Police Department families have their most critical needs met in times of crisis – and that isn’t just financial needs. The most pressing need is often for mental health services for family members.”
- Andrew Zinke, SPOA President