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Shawn Bittle and father

Dear Business Owner,

My name is Shawn Bittle, I am a Firefighter with the City of St. Louis Fire Department. As a native of the Queen City of the Ozarks, I am very excited to tell you about a newer organization that you may not have heard of yet in the Springfield area.

Its called the Greene County 100 Club, and its all about helping your public servants families who’s loved ones pay the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the community. As a second generation firefighter, (father is Dale Bittle (pictured) retired from Springfield F.D. after 30 years of service) and a friend to many Springfield & Greene County Firefighters, and having a sister in law enforcement in Greene County, this organization is a nice piece of mind to those who risk their own lives protecting yours. There is no guarantee that when we put on our uniform and report for duty that we will make it back to see our family.

As a Firefighter in the St. Louis Metro I don’t have to worry about what happens to my family if I never make it home. I am protected by a similar organization called Backstoppers “The Police & Fireman’s Fund”, if I were to be killed in the line of duty my family will be completely taken care of financially. Backstoppers have been supporting the families of fallen firefighters and police officers for over 50 years now, and everyone in St. Louis supports them, from the St. Louis Cardinals to the mom and pop restaurant on the corner.

In these tough economic times, people are very particular where and how they spend their money. Why not get involved with the Greene County 100 Club, and give your customer the ability to not only get great products and services from your company, but the added bonus knowing that they gave back to the community. There are hundreds of ways to entice your customers to come in to your establishment to help out the Greene County 100 Club, with very little to no cost to you. Believe me, when I say it will bring people into your shop. Why not help out this great organization, and be one of the first companies in Springfield and Greene County to say “We Support Greene County 100 Club”!

For more information please feel free to contact me on my personal cell phone at 314.704.7853, or contact Green County 100 Club directly at 417.864.1739 or visit their website at www.greenecounty100club.com .

Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

Shawn P. Bittle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9 A.M. CST, MARCH 16, 2010

SPRINGFIELD, MO, MARCH 16, 2010: The Greene County 100 Club is increasing efforts to gain program funding by educating communities of its purpose and seeking memberships. Information is offered to the community through the Greene County 100 Club Website and its Facebook page which are donated and maintained by Heligonix, a Springfield area cross-media marketing and consulting firm.

Information is also being generated to the public through seminars and local meetings. Shawn Bittle, a gentleman who knows first-hand the impact organizations like the Greene County 100 Club can have on communities, spoke on behalf of the Greene County 100 Club at the US Foodservice Show at the Oasis Convention Center on March 10.

Bittle is a restaurant owner and firefighter in St. Louis. He is associated with the Backstoppers, a similar organization, and his father is a retired Springfield firefighter. Bittle suggested the round-up program to Springfield area restaurants where the change part of a bill is donated to the Greene County 100 Club.

Bob Hammerschmidt, treasurer, soon begins the Greene County 2010 membership drive in Republic with breakfast at the Republic Chamber of Commerce. Green County 100 Club members give the organization an annual donation of $100 to support members of the Greene County police and fire service.

The Greene County 100 Club is a not-for-profit organization that provides financial support to the surviving spouse and dependent children of police officers and firefighters killed in Greene County, Missouri.

Since its inception in 2006, the organization has raised a little over $120,000 but hopes to increase its reservoir to at least $200,000 by the end of 2010. The Greene County 100 Club gives immediate financial support to families of fallen fire and police service members.

For more information or to make a donation, please visit the Website at www.GreeneCounty100Club.com, email us at info@greenecounty100club.com or call 417-864-1739.

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To date, the 100 Club has raised approximately $150,000, primarily from larger Founding Member gifts. We want to raise a corpus of $500,000 to have a fully-functioning 100 Club that will serve the families of law enforcement and firefighters who give the ultimate sacrifice. Unfortunately, since the formation of the GC 100 Club, we have served two families of Sheriff’s deputies by delivering a $5,000 benefit within hours of each tragedy.

We will begin having community campaigns, first in Republic, MO, to see if we can get individuals to give $100 each year until our $500,000 is raised. This $500,000 will allow the 100 Club to add benefits beyond the $5,000 check such as tuition assistance, help with finances, headstones, etc.

If you would like to become involved in one of the community campaigns in Republic, Willard, Ash Grove, Battlefield, Fair Grove, Walnut Grove, Strafford or Springfield, please let me know. No individual in our community campaigns will be asked to give more than $100 per year or will be asked to make more than 5 calls.

If you “Google” 100 Club, you will note their are similar organizations all across America. The name, “100 Club” refers to grass-roots campaigns where many people give $100 per year to support law enforcement & fire personnel families.

Regards, Bob Hammerschmidt, Treasurer, Greene County 100 Club

See the stories of Sheriff’s Deputies who have saved a life in the course of their duties. Over the last few years the Greene County Sheriff’s Department has had many opportunities to commend their deputies for saving lives. Read about these brave people who have faced different situations and how they helped. While providing an opportunity to say thank you for their services this also gives citizens a chance to appreciate the daily life of a deputy. And remember to thank our law enforcement officers and firefighters for their outstanding work.

On August 5th, 1997, I was shot in the line of duty during a standoff with a parole absconder. The primary reason I survived this incident is due to the training I received from the Springfield Police Department and the USAF. The poor out of support from the members of the Springfield Police Department was amazing during my recovery. Had this incident ended differently in 1997, I know my wife would have received great support from the department. With the GC 100 club now in existence it is nice to know that there are other options out there for Public Safety Personnel when dealing with a tragic event. I would like to thank the organizers and the donors for all they are doing for our area of the state.

Sincerely,
Sgt. Greg Wheelen
Springfield Police Department

The Greene County 100 Club is a tax deductible, charitable organization that exists to help the surviving families of firefighters and law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Your support is needed, your comments are welcome. Officers and founding members will be making entries into our website’s blog and schedule sections at http://greenecounty100club.com

Check back for insights into the jobs performed by these public servants and some heroic stories. With your help we will be able to expand the contribution we make as more well-established 100 Clubs have done in other cities. Check the links to see how they have aided their communities.