THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 11, 1996 TAG: 9609100116
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By Mike Mather, staff writer
LENGTH: 43 lines
After sharing some pasta tonight, the members of the city's Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary lodge hope family members of law-enforcement officers will come back and share some of the concerns that make living with a cop sometimes challenging.
``The main thing is the peer support,'' said the auxiliary's president, Jean Thurston. ``There are a lot of people who live in fear, wondering, `Is my husband coming home tonight?' ''
Tonight at 6:30, the FOP Auxiliary will host a free spaghetti dinner for the families of FOP members. That includes the families of all police officers, sheriff's deputies and state troopers who pay dues at the new lodge near the intersection of Birdneck Road and General Booth Boulevard. Most of the city's police officers belong to the FOP.
The auxiliary lodge is designed for family members of law officers. The auxiliary members often meet to discuss the stresses or concerns that can come with having a police officer or other law-enforcement agent in the family. And the members also meet to support the main lodge members. The auxiliary organizes several yearly projects from parties for special children to the city's annual memorial to police officers killed in the line of duty.
There are about 600 law-enforcement members of FOP Lodge No. 8, but only about 20 members of the auxiliary lodge, Thurston said. Auxiliary membership has been slowly dropping over the years, and Thurston is trying to give it a boost.
The free spaghetti dinner will mark the opening of a membership drive for an organization that used to include only wives of police officers.
Not long ago, the ``Ladies' '' was dropped from the group's name to reflect the changing dynamics of police families. Now, it's simply the Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary, and husbands of law-enforcement officers are eligible to join.
And about four years ago, the lodge was opened to all immediate family members of law officers.
Members of the lodge can also use the banquet rooms and the in-ground pool behind the building.
The lodge's address is 961 S. Birdneck Road. The phone number is 428-5351. Reservations for the spaghetti dinner aren't needed. by CNB