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Three years ago, July 1,
2016, the two long-time members of the Toledo Police
Department, Officer Wormely and Sergeant Madison, brought
together their families, friends and co-workers and held a
joint celebration of their retirement from TPD.
Wormely retired after 32
years on the job. A member of the Police Prevention Team
since the early 1990’s, Wormely had, and still has, a long
history of community service on the job and although she was
longer an officer after July 1, 2016, her service to the
community continued uninterrupted.
Among Wormely’s many
accomplishments is the founding of S.T.R.I.V.E. in 1997.
S.T.R.I.V.E., a summer educational program, offered students
not only the opportunity to study for state-mandated tests
but also the chance to actually take the OGT (Ohio
Graduation Test) during the summer session in order to
complete a key requirement for graduation.
Wormely came upon the idea
of starting S.T.R.I.V.E. at the suggestion of her son after
she had expressed her frustration to him about the lack of
summer educational programs for students of his age. “Why
don’t you start your own, mom?” he challenged her. She did
just that.
Working through the Police
Prevention Team process, she drafted certified teachers and
a program was born.
After 22 years on the
Toledo Police Department, Madison retired on the same
day as her good friend. And, as is the case with Wormely,
Madison, whose main focus over her years with TPD has been
community involvement, continued that interaction.
After spending four years
on street patrol, Madison became a school resource officer,
then a community services officer (CSO). In that position
she was tasked with implementing a senior volunteer program
to work with citizens on improving the condition of their
neighborhoods.
In 2012, Madison received
the assignment that has brought her the greatest degree of
professional satisfaction when she was assigned to the
Toledo Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (T-CIRV)
unit. “The effort to reduce violence among gang members is
the most important part of it,” says Madison. “And the
community aspect is the most important part of that. The
community aspect is not a different piece – we are getting
the community to help reduce violence in their own
neighborhood.”
By the time she retired,
Madison was also a part of S.T.R.I.V.E. and continued with
that work.
In recent years, however,
the Ohio OGT has evolved and the summer preparedness program
was no longer applicable, so S.T.R.I.V.E. evolved as well.
The Brains and Body Summer Fitness Program has become an
all-encompassing program for both educational and physical
fitness for a wider range of students. Wormely and Madison
are the faces of the program.
They have plenty of help,
however. The Toledo Police Department is assisting with
in-kind funding by proving police officers, such as Officer
Derek Kizer, as mentors, particularly for the fitness part
of the program. Toledo Public Schools is providing the
building (the program has been housed at Woodward High
School after its initial two years at Robinson Elementary)
and the transportation. Brains and Body uses certified TPS
teachers for the educational program activities.
Wormely and Madison also
raise funds from a variety of private and public sources in
order to continue their efforts. Smallridge Development,
LLC; Walk the Word Ministries; Paramount; NOW Building &
Construction Trades; Laborers Local 500; UAW C.A.P. Council
and Plumbers Local 50 are some of the private donors that
have assisted the program. Recently, the program has
obtained Title I funding through TPS – federal funds that
are designated for use in community programs.
Registration is now open
for this summer’s Fitness Challenge. The five-week program
is held on Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Breakfast and lunch are provided and the cost per child is
only $100. To register, parents and guardians can call
S.T.R.I.V.E. at 419-322-8425. Registration is limited and on
a first come-first serve basis.
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