Latest news with #MattO'Shea
CBS News
30-03-2025
- CBS News
Breakfast at Chicago's Saint Ignatius College Prep raises money for CPD officers' protective vests
A "Get Behind the Vest" pancake breakfast was held on Chicago's Near West Side Sunday to help those who protect and serve to stay protected. The event raises money to buy new bulletproof vests for Chicago Police officers. Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) has been hosting Get Behind the Vest events in the Beverly area. The event Sunday was organized by Ald. Bill Conway (34th) and was held in Tully Hall at Saint Ignatius College Prep, 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd. "They have our backs, so we've got to make sure they have the best on their back as well," said Conway. Chicago Police Supt. Larry Snelling attended the event as a special guest. "To have an event like this and a turnout like this in support of the officers who are out there keeping the city safe is just a blessing," Snelling said. For $5, those attending the event at Saint Ignatius got their fill of pancakes, sausages, and other breakfast favorites. The money raised will all go to purchasing those new protective vests for Chicago Police officers.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
'Get Behind the Vest' campaign helps Chicago officers, K9s replace bulletproof vests
CHICAGO - Over time, a police officer's bulletproof vest loses its effectiveness, and in Chicago, replacing it falls to the officer wearing the badge. 19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea has spent the past decade helping defray the costs of new vests for Chicago officers. What we know Chicago police officers are issued a bulletproof vest upon graduation from the academy. Due to normal wear and tear, the vests have a shelf life of about five years. After that, it's up to the officer to come up with the $500 needed to replace it. Once again, they're getting help covering the cost, thanks to the "Get Behind the Vest" campaign. "Police officers are raising a family, they're paying a mortgage, they have other bills they need to pay for – other forms of equipment they need to replace. What the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation identified was the vests weren't being replaced," O'Shea said. Dig deeper Since 2014, O'Shea's pancake breakfasts have raised nearly $700,000 for Chicago police officers. Sunday's turnout impressed CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling. "The thing that I hope the public sees is number one, this is a changing department, but at the same time, the threat that officers face on a daily basis – that hasn't changed," Snelling said. Another strong turnout this year is expected to result in nearly 1,000 vests being issued to Chicago officers. "Tragically, they don't get as much love and respect as they should. They keep our streets safe and they're the first people we call whenever there's an issue. So I'm proud to support this. It's great to see so many people out on a Sunday morning. It makes me feel good to be a Chicagoan," said Sec. of State Alexi Giannoulias. Thanks to "Get Behind the Vest," K9s in the Chicago area are also receiving new vests, which can cost more than $1,000.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Yahoo
Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's ‘Get Behind the Vest' event raises funds for officer safety gear
CHICAGO – Over 1,000 people headed to St. John Fisher School in West Beverly Sunday morning for an annual fundraiser in support of Chicago's police officers and their safety on the job. The fundraiser 'Get Behind the Vest' featured a pancake breakfast and was hosted by Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th Ward). All the money raised goes to the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's Get Behind the Vest initiative that buys new bulletproof vests for Chicago police officers. Chicago high school students receive training in life-saving emergency skills 'They protect us; we're going to protect them,' O'Shea said. To date, the annual gathering has raised nearly $700,000 to purchase new vests. O'Shea said vests need to be replaced every five years due to normal wear and tear. They cost about $600 each and he explained why replacing them falls on private donations. 'For whatever reason they are not replaced, they should be. That would be part of a collective bargaining agreement between the FOP and the City of Chicago. The fact of the matter is they are not provided. Lucky for us, the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation is taking this on. I'm just happy our small community can be a small part of it,' O'Shea said. CTA workers' union raises safety concerns after recent incidents The Original Pancake House in Beverly donates the food while Mariano's donates the condiments. Other local businesses have also stepped up to help make the gathering a successful one. 'The general public wants police to be there and they respect the work they do,' CPD Supt. Larry Snelling said. 'The threat a police officer faces, that hasn't changed. It's probably changed for the worst, but police officers get up, do the work, and I want the public to understand they do the work for them.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
23-02-2025
- General
- CBS News
Crowd turns out for breakfast to raise funds for Chicago Police officers' bulletproof vests
Ald. Matt O'Shea (19th) on Sunday hosted his 11th annual Get Behind the Vest Pancake Breakfast. The tasty tradition raises funds to buy Chicago Police officers bulletproof vests. It was a full house for the occasion Sunday morning at St. John Fisher School, at 10200 S. Washtenaw Ave. in the Beverly neighborhood. The event brought families, neighbors, and police Supt. Larry Snelling all together. For $5 per person, or $25 for families, hungry attendees got all they could eat of pancakes, sausages, and more — donated by the Harrigan family of the Original Pancake House Beverly. On average, bulletproof vests need to be replaced every five years. Officers get their first one free, but they have to pay for future ones — to the tune of about $500 each. Over the years, the pancake breakfast has raised more than $600,000 for the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation's Get Behind the Vest initiative.
CBS News
22-02-2025
- CBS News
Chicago gas station helping raise funds with every fill-up to buy bulletproof vests for CPD officers
A fundraiser this week on the Southwest Side helped people chip in to help make sure Chicago police officers are protected while on patrol. On a chilly afternoon in Mount Greenwood, at one of the few full-service gas stations in Chicago, attendants braved bitter cold temperatures for Get Behind The Vest, a program to make sure every CPD officer has an updated bulletproof vest. "They identified that police officers, they're raising a family, they're paying a mortgage, maybe they're paying tuitions for their children. They're not replacing the vests. It's about $500 dollars on the low end. Some of them, like for SWAT officers, go for $2,500," said Ald. Matt O'Shea, who hosts regular fundraisers for Get Behind The vest. While the Chicago Police Department supplies bulletproof vests to officers when they first join the force, they need to be replaced on average every five years, and officers must pay for replacement vests. The Behind the Vest campaign organized by the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation allows officers to replace their bulletproof vests for free. The Shell station at 111th and Talman donated 5 cents from every gallon of gas to Get Behind the Vest this week. Two other businesses – Beverly Bank & Trust and AthleteX – also jumped in with matching funds, so 15 cents per every gallon for the entire week goes toward buying bulletproof vests for officers. Many drivers who filled up at the Shell station loved the idea they're helping out just by getting gas. "One hundred percent support CPD. They need it, especially what's going on in this neighborhood and all neighborhoods in Chicago," one woman said. "Over the years, we've raised thousands and thousands of additional dollars to purchase vests to protect our officers based on this feel-good campaign," said O'Shea, who represents the Beverly, Morgan Park, and Mount Greenwood communities, where many CPD officers and their families live. The alderman joined the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation in helping gas attendants at the Mount Greenwood Shell station to drum up even more support. "I gotta tell you, people drive up and they write a check. Last year a gentleman, he wrote a $500 check to purchase a check to protect a police officer," O'Shea said. If you can't get the gas station for the fundraiser, Sunday is the campaign's main event, as O'Shea hosts his 11th annual pancake breakfast for Get Behind the Vest. Hundreds will pack St. John Fisher School at 102nd and Washtenaw for fellowship with food and officers. "We think it's so important that police officers and their families attend come to attend so they can see firsthand and up close how much people really care," O'Shea said.
