Spotlight: Tim Thompson
Sometimes the people who offer the greatest service to their communities need a little help themselves. Tim Thompson, a retail sales manager for Verizon Wireless in San Diego, likes to help those who help others.
"A friend of mine is a police officer in San Diego and a member of the National Latino Police Officers Association (NLPOA), a nonprofit created to eliminate prejudice in the criminal justice system," Thompson said.
"I was doing a ride-along with him one day, and my friend mentioned that the San Diego Metro Chapter of NLPOA needed a flag pole and U.S. flag, but there was no funding available. I told him that Verizon and I could help and to let me know what was needed. Two months later I began volunteering with the San Diego NLPOA."
Thompson said the NLPOA is an important tool for the communities it serves, helping raise much-needed money for local police departments. Families of law enforcement officers killed in action can turn to the NLPOA for counseling and financial aid. The group also organizes annual trips to Mexico, where they feed more than 3,000 underprivileged children.
By volunteering 50 hours with the NLPOA, Tim earned a $750 grant for that organization through the Verizon Foundation's Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) - enough money to erect the first flagpole and buy the first flag for the San Diego Police Department Air Support Unit.
