C.O.P.S. 2nd Annual Hope Gala

West Central Florida Concerns of Police Survivors presents its 2nd Annual Blue Hope Gala! Please join us for a memorable evening as we honor our local heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and their families who have experienced a loss they never imagined. We hope to bring awareness to Concerns of Police Survivor’s (C.O.P.S.) and our local chapter’s mission: “Help survivors rebuild their shattered lives.”

The proceeds obtained from this event will be used to help local surviving families and co-workers attend retreats where they obtain services to help process their loss, meet other survivors, and attend counseling sessions. It will enable us to provide local events for our families, send first year survivors to Washington D.C. during police week where their Law Enforcement Officer’s name will be added to the memorial, and to provide scholarships to send previous year survivors back. In addition, our goal is to allow opportunities for all survivors in our area to improve their mental well-being and use resources we provide to emotionally move forward in dealing with their grief. We look forward to seeing you at the 2nd Annual Blue Hope Gala!

SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17

VIP Meet & Greet

with Keynote Speaker and Guest Artist

5:00PM-6:00PM

General Registration Opens

5:30PM

Gala & Dinner Begins

6:30PM

Formal Attire: Black Tie Optional

*Silent Auction throughout

SPEAKERS

State Attorney Susan Lopez

Keynote Speaker

State Attorney Susan “Suzy” Lopez leads a team of approximately 300 prosecutors and professional staff in two offices in Hillsborough County. Lopez and the agency are responsible for all criminal prosecutions in the 13th Judicial Circuit, handling approximately 50,000 cases every year.

A Tampa native, Lopez is a proud graduate of Plant High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and law degree from Suffolk University. Lopez worked as an attorney at the 2nd District Court of Appeal before becoming an Assistant State Attorney in the 13th Judicial Circuit in 2005. Lopez was appointed to serve as a County Court Judge in December of 2021.

Lopez believes that building and maintaining strong relationships with local law enforcement helps to create a safer community for all.

Allie Corey

Master of Ceremonies

Allie Corey is an Emmy award-winning journalist who co-anchors the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. weekday newscasts. She joined FOX 13 in June 2022 and is a Florida native. Allie grew up in Palm Harbor and graduated from Florida State University. She’s worked in Gainesville, Providence and St. Louis. As a Florida girl, she’s grateful for the opportunities she’s had to explore New England and the Midwest, but couldn’t be more excited to be back home.

Allie has covered a variety of big stories during her career, including the Boston Marathon Bombings and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Allie has done live reporting in hurricanes and in snow storms. She most recently worked as a morning anchor at KSDK-TV in St. Louis where she won an Emmy for an anti-bullying series and was honored as Best News Anchor by the Missouri Broadcasters Association in 2019.

Dave Bray USA

Musical Guest & Auctioneer

From Festivals to Black tie events, Dave Bray USA delivers a full spectrum of energy and emotion. As a United States Navy Veteran and National Recording Artist, Dave considers his music to be a “Continuation of Service” and has dedicated much of his career to honoring our Veterans, Active Duty Military, Fire, Police and First Responders.

He served as an FMF Corpsman for the USMC Sniper Teams and following his service went on to lead the Patriotic Rock band “Madison Rising” to success with his rock rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Dave’s 2021 album, “Too Far Gone” released at #1 on the Itunescharts with the help of his dedicated supporters and garnered this God Fearing, Freedom Loving, Flag Waving Patriot national attention!

Suzie Sawyer

C.O.P.S. Co-Founder and Executive Director Emeritus

Suzie Sawyer has dedicated 27 years of her life to serving our nation’s unsung law enforcement heroes; the families and co-workers of those left behind after a line-of-duty law enforcement death.  In 1984, Suzie co-founded Concerns of Police Survivors, an organization dedicated to providing resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of officers killed in the line of duty.  As the Executive Director from 1984-2011, Suzie built C.O.P.S. into a nationally recognized organization serving over 15,000 families. Because of Suzie’s unswerving positive, can-do attitude, survivors now have somewhere to turn for help in dealing with their, and advocate for understanding their benefits, and a place to go for peer support.  Suzie Sawyer is truly a hero to the thousands of people she has helped begin their journey down the road to hope.

Contact Us:

(877) 768-2784 ext. 114

Hotel Accommodations:

If you need hotel accommodations at the Westshore Grand, please CLICK HERE to book at our group rate

Gala Location:

SPONSORS