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First responders honored by 100 Club

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The Hill Country 100 Club recognized 37 law-enforcement and emergency-response personnel in its tri-county area Thursday for outstanding service and dedication at the club's annual recognition banquet.

About 350 Hill Country 100 Club members and honorees gathered inside Lakeside Pavilion in Marble Falls for the seventh such event since the club's creation in 2002. The event celebrated the dedicated service exemplified in 2009.

One sober memory, however, remained heavy in the minds and hearts of 100 Club members--the death of Burnet County Sheriffs

Office Deputy Francis David Blake, who was killed in a car accident in October while responding to a call. The 2009 banquet was held in memory of Blake.

Burnet County Sheriff W.T. Smith honored Blake at the event with his department's Rookie of the Year award, which he presented to Blake's widow, Tanya.

"I'm so proud tonight to be able to present this award," Smith said. "David Blake was a fine officer. David served his community, was active in his church with the youth. David had a dream. His dream was to be a law-enforcement officer on the street. He came to me and asked for the opportunity to fulfill that dream in his life. I provided him with that opportunity and he rose to the challenge. He did a fantastic job."

The Hill Country 100 Club, a non-profit, gave Blake's widow, Tanya Blake, and the couple's children $10,000 in October and November to help with immediate expenses.

"The Hill Country 100 Club's primary mission is to provide financial aid to spouses and dependents of fallen law-enforcement and EMS personnel," said Dewey Holling-sworth, 2009 club chairman. "Our secondary mission is to provide financial aid to seriously injured law-enforcement, fire and EMS individuals. We also provide non-budgeted equipment to entities, along with providing scholastic scholarships to dependents."

Rick Hartley, executive director of The 100 Club in Houston, was a guest at the banquet and spoke to the audience on the values of 100 Clubs nationwide. As the Hill Country 100 Club directors plan to expand their reach beyond the tri-county area in the future, Hartley's club serves 18 counties and about 30,300 personnel.

"Some of us have seen and experienced many tragedies, not only personal tragedies but have witnessed those same types of tragedies in the lives of the community," Smith said. "Don't for a minute think that we forget those, that we become cold and insensitive to the things that happen around us, to the disturbance calls we make and the children who have been abused. All of those types of things, we remember. They make us who and what we are."

For a full list of recipients, turn to Pages 2,3,4A in this publication.



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© 2010 Burnet Bulletin Burnet, Texas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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