SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — From collecting patches for a sick boy to awarding scholarships, the Sullivan County Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association (SCPBA) has been busy. 

Each year it has given out scholarships to deserving local students. On June 29, the PBA handed out four $500 scholarship, to Alyza Garcia, Kaitlyn Potter, Cavan Leaney-Levenson and Isabel Cruz.

The Robert Chemereys Memorial Scholarship is granted to a student pursuing a degree and career path in the area of criminal justice. The Debra Hall Memorial Scholarship is given to a student studying the care and welfare of animals, and/or veterinary science. Both scholarships are in honor of previous members of the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office.

Recently, the SCPBA contributed police agency patches to nine-year-old Joshua Eastman, of Kane, PA, who is battling cancer at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s children’s hospital.

Josh wants to be a police officer, and police departments from around the nation have sent him patches. The SCPBA asks that readers keep Josh in their thoughts and pray for his speedy recovery.

At the end of June, the group conducted its semiannual litter pluck at Route 17’s Exit 104. The group, in conjunction with Schmidt’s Wholesale, holds that location on the eastbound and westbound ramps through the NYSDOT adopt-an-exit

program. It is, the group said, an effort to give back to the community it is “proud and honored to serve.”