The CPOF Motto
Correctional Peace Officers Foundation (CPOF) was founded in 1984 and is a nationwide nonprofit charitable organization whose mission is to support correctional professionals and their families in times of tragedy and hardship. The formation of CPOF in the early 1980s centered around providing support to the unique needs of survivors of correctional professionals killed in the line of duty and to promote a positive image of correctional professionals to the general public and within the profession itself. It is important to note CPOF support is not limited to correctional officer members but also provides support to all employees who are members and work in prisons, institutions, jails, and parole/probation.
The organization has grown since its inception to provide other services such as an extensive Catastrophic Assistance Program to support families in time of crisis and critical need. CPOF honors fallen correctional professionals, provides financial support to families experiencing loss, encourages outside business and industry support for correctional professionals, and encourages communication and fellowship among corrections professionals and their families – both nationally and internationally. CPOF also hosts an annual four-day gathering for correctional professionals and families to honor and recognize the men and women of corrections who have lost their lives in the line of duty the preceding year, called Project 2000. These annual memorial gatherings are held throughout the country. In 2022 Reno, Nevada, hosted the event and St. Louis, Missouri, will be home to the 2023 event.
CPOF strives to provide support to families of correctional professionals across the country. In 2022, 31 of our Oregon Department of Corrections correctional professionals received support from CPOF totaling $30,850. These families were provided services while experiencing tragedies such as death, house fires, cancer, serious injury, and bereavement just to name a few examples. Services were provided to both CPOF members and nonmembers from several different ODOC facilities across the state.
Oregon Department of Corrections’ own Corporal Tom Donaldson of Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is the Oregon representative serving the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation. In Corporal Donaldson’s role, he leads the national transportation team. This is an important role as Tom and his team were responsible for transporting more than 500 participants from the airport to the Project 2000 conference honoring fallen families in Reno. This dedication to serving families is commendable. Corporal Donaldson also travels to DOC’s twelve institutions spreading awareness around CPOF’s assistance programs, connecting with potential new members, and providing direct support to families experiencing loss. He has been working hard to bolster support to the program and strives to establish a point of contact at each institution to ensure families needing support are getting services in a timely manner.
CPOF lives by their motto, “Taking Care of Our Own.” Tom is a great example of this.
CPOF membership is on the rise. There are currently 66,759 members, with 992 from Oregon. CPOF welcomes those who work in corrections and those who support corrections to become members. For more information or to become a member, contact CPOF at:
