Last month was the month we all hoped and prayed we would never see again. North Carolina went five months without losing an officer in the line of duty, then, on October 17th, Officer Ryan Hayworth of the Knightdale Police Department was killed by an alleged drunk driver while investigating an accident.
Officer Hayworth was a U.S. Army veteran and had served with the Knightdale Police Department for only three months.
BTBNC immediately started a gofundme for Ryan's surviving family, and although it was growing at the start, it has become stagnated and has not received any donations in five days.
This is the reason that BTBNC started the 10-33 Assistance Program, when it comes to funds for the children and families of LEO's killed in the line of duty we must be proactive, not reactive.
I am sad to have to report that our 10-33 Program has had less than 10 members join since its launch in July. The 10-33 Assistance Program is only $10.33 a month, which is less than .34 cents a day! Please, I urge you to join the 10-33 Program, you can rest assured that 100%, dollar for dollar, every penny you donate goes to the children and families of the fallen.
The 10-33 Program is a separate account of BTBNC and every penny donated that goes into the fund is never touched until it is donated to the families or placed into a trust for the child(ren) of the fallen.
BTBNC does a lot more than just raising money for the families of the fallen, we offer more than just monetary support. We are there with the family and departments as they deal with the loss of the officer. We have our Crisis Task Force and Chaplain, we have our grievance counselors, and many of our staff members are there in person with the family and the department for everything from helping with any needed arrangements to just being there to listen and support the family and officers as they deal with the loss of one of their own.
It was during the time that our staff was with the Hayworth family that Officer Ryan Hayworth's father, Tim Hayworth, who is the former Chief of the Zebulon Police department, that Tim Hayworth proposed an idea that would prevent the type of accident that killed his son, Ryan from happening in the future to any other First Responder.
Our Chairman immediately took action, contacted and met with NC State Representative Matthew Winslow the morning of Ryan's funeral to make this idea a law throughout the State.
State Rep. Winslow is currently working with all the necessary parties and is writing a Bill that will hopefully become law that would prevent any First Responder from being killed at the scene of an accident.
BTBNC will keep all its members updated on the progress of this Bill as it makes its way through the different committees and the NC House and hopefully passes as law.
In the meantime, once again, I urge you to join the 10-33 Assistance Program and help support the children and families of those who are willing to give their lives to keep you and yours safe. https://www.backthebluenc.org/1033
If you would like to donate or share to Ryan Hayworth's fund you can do so by visiting: https://www.gofundme.com/f/benefit-for-family-of-officer-ryan-hayworth
Lastly, we are always looking to add to our staff, if you can donate a few hours a week, a month, or have any ideas to help us grow please let us know!
Stay safe and keep the Hayworth Family, the Knightdale Police Department, and all our First Responders in your thoughts and prayers.