Posted by Past President Daniel Long for the Dallas Rotary Club
 
 
Dear Rotarians,
 To say that we are saddened by the tragedy that unfolded on Thursday night does not begin to express the many emotions we are feeling today. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of our fallen officers, the injured, the entire DPD and Chief Brown, the DART police force and DART Chief J.D. Spiller, and our entire city.
We wholeheartedly support Chief Brown and his officers. The efforts they have made in the area of community engagement are to be commended and their programs are models for other police departments. By all accounts, the protest Thursday was peaceful and our officers treated the protesters with respect and dignity, which makes the outcome all the more tragic.
If, like many in Dallas, you are wondering what you can do to help, we have some suggestions for you:
If you would like to donate to help the families of the fallen officers, the DPD has directed us to the Assist an Officer Foundation. You can mail a check to the foundation at 1412 Griffin St. East, Dallas, TX 75215 OR donate directly by going to https://atodallas.org/donate. 
If you see a police officer, thank them! Buy them a meal; deliver cookies to a police substation in your neighborhood; give out Starbucks gift cards; write a supportive note or letter. We have seen how those gestures are so appreciated.
The Rotary Club of Dallas, in partnership with the police support group Safer Dallas Better Dallas, is having banners made to show visible, tangible support for our officers. This is something Chief Brown has requested from the public. The banner is shown at the top of this letter and the cost of the banner is $75/each. If you would like to order banners for display, please contact Barbara Daniel at barhdaniel@aol.com for more information. If you would like to change the Rotary logo to reflect your own personal club, there will be an additional art fee on top of the cost of the banner. We suggest that each Club purchase the banners to distribute to elementary Schools in their area.
The Rotary Club of Dallas is holding a golf tournament on Monday, September 12th, with half of the proceeds going to benefit the Dallas Police Department. If you would like information on how to participate in our golf tournament, please go to our web site to see options for sponsorship: https://www.rotary.org/golftournment.
Thank you for your continued support of the Dallas Police Department.
Yours in Service,
 
Michael Perry                                                       John Forest                 
President, The Rotary Club of Dallas                Chairman, Safer Dallas Better Dallas Committee