Special Olympics fundraisers include the popular Tip-a-Cop dinners to raise funds for athletes

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The servers in Santa Barbara Tuesday evening at the California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) were wearing law enforcement badges as part of a fundraiser for Special Olympics.

This type of collaboration went on pause during the pandemic but now it is coming back with several similar events coming on the calendar.

The Special Olympics dinners use the same menu restaurant, and in the case of CPK, 20 percent of the sales went to the Special Olympics. There were also envelopes where a direct 100 percent tip could be left for the cause.

Four law enforcement agencies were participating including the Santa Barbara Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

Some of the customers came in especially for this cause. Some saw the table top notices when they sat down and began learning about the fundraiser and the cause.

The money raised will help the local athletes pay for fees and other costs to be in the Special Olympics when they are held annually in June at Cal State Long Beach.

"These fundraising events exist so these athletes can participates in the summer games," said longtime Tip a Cop coordinator Lt. Butch Arnoldi wth the Sheriff's Department.

Arnoldi said the event had a total of "12 law enforcement servers we have and three so athletes also existing which is a great thing. It's everybody  collaborating not only with our community but  with our restaurant partners."

California Pizza Kitchen manager Stefanie Stratton said "I know we are a big corporation but we are really able to bring it down to the local community and the special olympics is  a huge deal. (It's) a really awesome fundraiser."

Local organizers say they are expecting more Tip-a-Cop dinners to come on to the calendar between now and Spring and they are looking for restaurants that want to be a partner on this cause.

Next year there will also be the traditional Torch Run along the Southern California coast to the June games in Long Beach. The torch will be carried in a law enforcement escort with a route that includes Goleta, Isla Vista, Santa Barbara, Montecito and Carpinteria.

There will also be a winter Polar Plunge at Leadbetter Beach. Teams raise money and on the morning of the event, after a pancake breakfast, they run down the sand and plunge into the cold winter waters to show support for the cause.

For more information go to: Special Olympics