Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith is encouraging community residents to support the New York State Sheriffs’ Institute, which began its annual Honorary Membership drive in Putnam County this week.

The Sheriffs’ Institute was established in 1979 to advance criminal justice education, prevent juvenile delinquency, and support victims of crime and their families. Institute programs include the following:

Sheriffs’ Summer Camp: Almost 900 children from across New York State attend the sheriffs’ camp for economically challenged children, which is located on Keuka Lake. The Sheriffs’ Institute pays all costs for the campers, including transportation, a week of camp, meals, and traditional camp activities like sailing, archery and crafts. The camp is in its 41st year of operation.

Criminal Justice Scholarship Program: The scholarship program provides one scholarship to the Criminal Justice Program at each of New York State’s Community Colleges. This program aims at attracting the best and the brightest students to a criminal justice vocation.

Victim Notification Programs: The Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline provides automated notification to registered victims when an inmate is released. The Sheriffs’ Order of Protection Notification Program allows individuals who have been granted Family Court orders of protection to receive alerts when those orders are served.

“The Sheriff’s Institute is our partner in providing programs that help the people in our communities,” Sheriff Smith said. “But we really rely on the support of our Honorary Members for the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp. Their support allows us to send economically disadvantaged children to camp. These kids wouldn’t have a chance to go away to camp otherwise,” he said.

Persons interested in learning more about the Sheriffs’ Summer Camp and other Sheriffs’ Institute Programs may visit www.sheriffsinstitute.org or they may call Ms. Pat Hughes at (518) 434-9091 or email her at phughes@nysheriffs.org. The Sheriffs’ Institute is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt organization.