BALEAF President Fabian Brown announced that Carol A. Paterick has been awarded a contract to develop and manage a website for BALEAF.  Carol brings years of experience in the internet and designing and maintaining law enforcement websites, as well as being retired federal law enforcement herself.  We look forward to working with her this next year.  Her contact is carolpaterick@gmail.com.

This is the listing of  the 62 agencies with officers and officer families that were awarded over $1.9M in assistance from BALEAF.

Alameda County Sheriff's Office

Antioch Police Department

Atherton Police Department

B.A.R.T. Police Department

Belmont Police Department

Burbank Police Department

Butte County Sheriff's Office

Cathedral City Police Department

California Highway Patrol

Contra Costa Probation Department

Contra Costa Sheriff's Office

Daly City Police Department

Danville Police Department

Davis Police Department

East Palo Alto Police Department

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office

Fremont Police Department

Galt Police Department

Hayward Police Department

Lakeport Police Department

Marin County Probation

Marin County Sheriff's Office

Martinez Police Department

Merced Police Department

Millbrae Police Department

Modesto Police Department

Monterey Police Department

Napa Valley County Probation

Novato Police Department

Oakland Police Department

Pittsburg Police Department

Placer County Sheriff's Office

Red Bluff Police Department

Redwood City Police Department

Richmond Police Department

Sacramento Police Department

Sacramento County Sheriff's Office

San Francisco D.A.'s Office

San Francisco Police Department

San Francisco Sheriff's Office

San Jose Police Department

San Leandro Police Department

San Lorenzo Police Department

San Mateo County Sheriff's Office

San Mateo Police Department

San Rafael Police Department

Santa Cruz Police Department

Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office

Santa Rosa Police Department

Solano County Sheriff's Office

Sonoma County Probation

Sonoma County Sheriff's Office

Stockton Police Department

Tiburon Police Department

Tulare County Sheriff's Office

U.C. Berkeley Police Department

Ukiah Police Department

Vacaville Police Department

Vallejo Police Department

Walnut Creek Police Department

Yuba City Police Department

Yolo County Sheriff's Office

BALEAF has helped so many over the years.  You can help by contributing through the San Francisco City & County employer charity campaign through the Local Independent Charities (LIC) Federation. 
Choose BALEAF!

CONGRATULATIONS TO BALEAF'S 2020 ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS!

This year's BALEAF Scholarship Program has concluded, and we have our winners!   We received 49 applications this year, with 43 of them completed and returned.  The applicants this year came from 19 different law enforcement agencies throughout the Bay Area, and included 27 female applicants and 16 male applicants.

Our winners, along with the agencies that their relatives work for, and the colleges they plan to attend, are:

Nicholas Fay - Marin County Sheriff's Office, attending Beloit College

Isabella Engler - San Francisco Police Department, attending U.C. Davis

Jenna Nguyen, San Jose Police Department, attending California Baptist University

Owen Walsh, San Francisco Police Department, attending Chapman University

Mitchell Chang, Antioch Police Department, attending the University of Arizona

Haley Kasid, Concord Police Department, attending Solano Community College

Congratulations to one and all, and much luck as you continue your education!

Greetings one and all!  I wanted to let everyone know that through all of the craziness that has been going on locally, in the country, and in the world these past several months, that BALEAF has been here for both sworn and civilian employees of law enforcement agencies throughout the Bay Area.  We have been able to assist eighteen families, so far, this year, giving out $33,000 in assistance!

For those of you who may not be aware of the history of BALEAF, the organization was established in 1999 as a means to assist law enforcement personnel and their families in their time of need.  It was initially formed to assist the widows of San Francisco Police officers who had passed away from both natural causes and line of duty deaths.  Former SFPD Lieutenant, Lynette Hogue, along with former SFPD Chaplain Mike Ryan, current SFPD Chaplain Sister Lillian Repak, and Diane Wolffe, one of the SFPD's Psych Pros, put together a Grief Support Group, and reached out to as many survivors that they knew about and had contact information for, and invited them to come to a meeting.  Many came, and at one point, there were approximately 20 people attending the monthly meetings at any given time.  For many of these survivors, it had been the first time that anyone from the Department had reached out to them since their loved ones had died!

During those meetings, they heard story after story about how financially impacted they were upon the death of their family members.  There were delays in their final payout from the Department, as well as from insurance policies they had, and they had bills to pay.  It put an additional strain on them that they shouldn't have had to deal with during their time of grief.  Lynette and Mike, along with former Directors of the SFPD Behavioral Science Unit, Al Benner and Forrest Fulton, began discussing the possibilty of forming a non-profit organiztion to help these family members financially, not just for the SFPD, but for all Bay Area law enforcement agencies.  Mike drew up by-laws and the application for non-profit status, and they were submitted, and accepted, and BALEAF was born!

BALEAF is proud to say that 100% of your donations made to the organization go directly towards assisting, both sworn and civilian members of Bay Area law enforcement agencies!  Annual donations made by BALEAF's Board of Directors, pay for all administrative costs incurred by the organization throughout the year, along with some donations that are made specifically for that purpose.

Unfortunately, due to the corononavirus pandemic, BALEAF has had to cancel all of our upcoming fundraising events, including Law Enforcement Night with the Giants, the Sharks, a potential event with the Warriors, and even the annual San Francisco Police Memorial event.  We're hoping to be able to do these events again next year; however, with the pandemic, everything is currently in a holding pattern.

Now, more than ever, I'd like to encourage everyone to consider choosing BALEAF as your recipient for your donations to the upcoming City & County of San Francisco's Combined Charities Campaign, if you're an SFPD member, or to any other Combined Charities Campaign going on for your agencies other than the San Francisco Campaign.  Your donations will ensure that BALEAF will be able to continue to help officers, civilian members, and their families during times of death, sustaining a serious injury, or suffering a catastrophic event.

One of the benefits about donating through a Combined Charities Campaign is that it enables people to give money every month without having to worry about remembering to do so!  A one-time donation is also an option.  All donations made to BALEAF are tax deductible.

Finally, many individual members, union, and Departments will set up GoFundMe pages to assist an officer or family member when they're experiencing a hardship.  Please remember that BALEAF is also available to set up a special fundraising drive for those members in need.  Using BALEAF for that purpose, rather than setting up a GoFundMe account, will elminate any fees associated with those accounts, will ensure that 100% of your donation will go directly to that person or family in need, and gives the donor a tax write-off, to boot!

Please stay safe, and don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or need assistance.  Our email is BayAreaLE1025@gmail.com, and any donations not associated with a Combined Charities Campaign can be sent to BALEAF at P.O. Box 31764, San Francisco, CA 94131.  We hope that you never need us, but we're here if you ever do.

AS OF SEPTEMBER 4, 2020, BALEAF HAS PROVIDED FUNDING TO 62 LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, AS WELL AS TO THE TWIN TOWERS FUND AND THE KATRINA DISASTER RELIEF FUND.  DUE TO THE GENEROSITY OF OUR OUTSTANDING SUPPORTERS, BALEAF HAS, THUS FAR, AWARDED $1,942,770 FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT FAMILIES!

It is with heavy heart that I let you know that retired San Francisco Police Department Captain Timothy "Tim" Foley died suddenly of a heart attack in Paris the week before Christmas, where he was attending an IACP (International Association of Chief of Police) event.  He was 64 years old.  Information on any memorial or services that may occur will be provided at a later date by the family.

Tim joined the SFPD in 1977, and served at a variety of stations and bureaus throughout the Department. After retiring from the SFPD in 2010, he started teaching POST certified management and leadership classes for a local consulting group.  In 2013, Tim applied for, and was selected for, the Chief's position for the Nevada City Police Department, where he served for several years before becoming the Interim Chief for the Saint Helena Police Department, until very recently.

Tim was one of the founding members of BALEAF when the organization was first formed in 1999.  He had been a peer support and CIRT member for about 20 years in the Department, and wanted to be involved with BALEAF so that he could give back to officers and their families that were experiencing a traumatic event.  He remained an active member of the BALEAF Board until he took on the Chief's position in Nevada City; however, he chose to remain on the Board as an Associate member, so he could continue to be "kept in the loop" on what BALEAF was doing, and to participate in events when he could, or support them in whatever way he could from afar.

Rest in peace, Tim.  You are SO missed!   In Memoriam Notice PDF

HARLEY DAVIDSON TOY RIDE BREAKFAST

On December 8th, BALEAF hosted a breakfast for the annual Harley Davidson Toy Ride at the Mariposa Hunters Point Yacht Club.  After the group dropped off toys to the kids, who are patients at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, many braved the rainy weather and came to the Club for an all-you-can eat breakfast!  Many thanks to all who helped make this another fantastic event.  A great time was had by all!