COLUMBIA — If you're looking for a reason to head downtown tonight, McCreary's Irish Pub & Eatery on the Columbia square has you covered — and so does the Maury County Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff's Department Citizens Academy Alumni Association is hosting a fundraising dinner at McCreary's tonight, Thursday, May 14, with a portion of proceeds going to support the association's community work.
The Citizens Academy Alumni Association is one of those organizations that does its work quietly and consistently. Among its most visible efforts is the annual Shop with a Cop program, which pairs Maury County children in need with law enforcement officers for a holiday shopping experience — a tradition that reminds kids that the men and women wearing a badge are their neighbors and protectors. Events like tonight's fundraiser make programs like that possible.
McCreary's has long been a gathering place on the Columbia square, the kind of spot where you run into people you know and linger a little longer than you planned. Tonight it's also a place to put your dollars behind something that matters. The pub is asking the community to come out, enjoy a meal, and help the association keep doing the work it does year-round on behalf of Maury County families.
The Citizens Academy itself is a program that invites community members to learn how the Sheriff's Department operates — building the kind of trust between law enforcement and the public that makes a county safer for everyone. Supporting its alumni association is a small but meaningful way to invest in that relationship.