QCPF: About Us

A RICH TRADITION ADAPTING TO EVER INCREASING DEMANDS

Since 1865, the Burlington Police Department has been the sentinel of Burlington's public safety. In that long and exemplary tradition, the department has continued to strive to reach new milestones in skill and service. As Burlington grows, so grows the demand for resources and equipment to keep pace with community policing, new technologies and investigative methods. Increasing budget constraints, however, threaten to leave the department lagging behind Burlington's ever-growing demands.

A FOUNDATION SERVING THE PUBLIC NEED

In 2000, the Queen City Police Foundation was created to address growing community needs. The foundation is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, tax exempt organization that provides supplemental funding for new technology, equipment and other projects not available from the city's budget. The foundation's support allows the Burlington Police Department to further community relationships while providing equipment and technology that support the department's achievement and community involvement.

CREATING A FOUNDATION TO SERVE THE PUBLIC NEED

The 15 member, volunteer Board of Directors supervises the activities of the Foundation. The Chief of Police serves as a non-voting Ex-offico member. The board creates bylaws and determines the overall allocation of funds controlled by the Police Foundation. The betterment of law enforcement in the community is the guiding function of the Queen City Police Foundation.

TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE BURLINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Cindy Delaney
Cindy founded Delaney Meeting & Event Management in 1997. The business has grown approximately 20% each year since its inception, largely due to the number of annual events the firm coordinates. Prior to starting Delaney Meeting & Event Management, Cindy gained 11 years of experience in the hospitality industry working for Omni Hotels, Smugglers' Notch Resort and the Sheraton Burlington Hotel & Conference Center. She was an adjunct professor at Champlain College for the Hospitality and Tourism program, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Vermont Convention Bureau and Vermont City Marathon. She is a past Board member and Communications Committee Chair for the New England Chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association, and the past President for the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. She is a graduate of Skidmore College with a BS in Business Administration, and attended the Cornell School of Hotel Management.

Kathleen Schirling
Kathleen has been a member of the Queen City Police Foundation since 2005. Since 1989, she has worked for Chittenden Bank and currently serves as the Senior Vice President in charge of marketing and community service.

Johanna Prince
Johanna is proud to be on the Board of the Queen City Police Foundation. I am a native of New Jersey where I taught school for thirty years, but am now retired. I have been blessed with three children and five grandchildren. My interests include art, music, and writing. After my husband's death, I set out for Burlington, Vermont where, although I was a stranger in a strange land, I could breathe and dream again. In this place, I have found many opportunities to reach out to others and have been rewarded by their reaching back to me.

I am devoted to being a part of my adopted community, particularly, by sharing the goals and endeavors of the men and women of the Burlington Police Department as they strive to improve our city. They are a special breed, as are their families, because they offer their lives, literally and figuratively, at any time and at any place to virtual strangers. My participation in the Queen City Police Foundation is an acknowledgement of their daily gifts for which there are not thanks enough.

Syndi Zook
Syndi is a long time community organizer who worked in the field of Elder Services for over 25 years before becoming the Executive Director of the Lyric Theatre Company. Syndi was instrumental in the building of the McClure Multigenerational Center and has served on several special commissions for the City of Burlington and the State of Vermont related to the delivery of services for older Vermonters. Syndi has taught theater skills to children through the Burlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation for 20 years and appears around the area as a singer, actress and director.