The Provo Cinemark 16 movie theater organized efforts with the Provo City Police to host a free movie showing Saturday over Labor Day weekend to show appreciation to volunteers who are currently working in a variety of service programs Provo has in place.
“We have approximately 110 volunteers … we were just hoping to give them an opportunity to do something fun with their families,” said Sgt. Brandon Post, the public information officer for the Provo Police.
“The theater was donated by Cinemark, and we are really appreciative of what Cinemark did to give them the opportunity, and it’s a way to say thank you to some really great people who donate a lot of time and aren’t compensated for it,” Post said. “Their hours add up anywhere between 500–600 hours a month.”
The hours these volunteers have put in to making Provo a safer place have also made a substantial impact on the ability for the department to respond faster and more effectively to pressing issues the city addresses on a regular basis.
“We have several different divisions and groups. Some of them are youth under 21 years of age, there are Explorer groups, some of them are mobile watch members that drive around on their own time and in their own vehicles that drive around and watch for crime and suspicious behavior in their neighborhoods. The VIPs that drive around in the black and white volunteer cars were also invited,” said Senior Patrolman Preston Bascom of the Provo Police. “They provide a different function as far as responding to different types of calls and helping out with the call load.”
The Provo Police Department has had success from their volunteer efforts and has an influence on the organization’s ability to accomplish its goals.
“(The volunteers) have contributed substantially to the police department with their hours of service and helped us obtain some of the goals that we are going for as far as growth and covering major incidents,” Bascom said.
Looking at the glass half full, Provo Police understand that, for people looking for ways to do more, there are always volunteer opportunities in the Provo community.
“We are always looking for more volunteers to help out,” Post said. “Especially people with more diversified skill sets that want to give back to their community.”
Provo Police Chief Rick Gregory said in a news release that he valued the synergy produced when the community can come together with the same purpose and achieve it.
“The Provo Police Department volunteer programs are invaluable resources that build partnerships between us and the community,” Gregory said. “I anticipate that these programs will continue to improve and grow and that they will continue to have a positive impact on the quality of life in Provo.”
