Cleveland 100 will honor 29 dedicated professionals and seven community service recipients during the Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon to be held at Mountainview Inn, Exit 25, in Cleveland on Thursday at 11 a.m.
Assistant Commissioner and Homeland Security Advisor to Tennessee Department of Safety David Purkey will fly to Cleveland Thursday to attend the meeting and witness the awarding of numerous honors for Cleveland and Bradley county's emergency services personnel.
Commissioner Purkey, who is also TEMA director, will join the local legislative delegation along with former TBI Director Larry Wallace who are all special guests. Some 250 first responders are expected to attend.
Cleveland 100 is a non profit organization, founded in 1996 by Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland and the late ATF Agent Courtney McGrady. Its mission is to provide immediate financial assistance to dependents and families of any first responder who may lose their life in the line of duty. In its 18 year existence, Cleveland 100 has assisted families of three fallen heroes in the community; a county firefighter in 1997, a Cleveland police officer in 2008 and a Cleveland police officer in 2012.
In addition to financial aid to families of fallen first responders, Cleveland 100 holds an annual awards recognition program and also provides scholarships for ongoing training for existing personnel and for high school graduates who choose to go into any emergency services.