Fallen officer's family receives donation in the name of Rockville Center police

In the name of the Rockville Centre Police Department, Richard Torykian Sr., a village resident and founding director and vice chairman of the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation (MCLEF), presented Jackie Califano, the widow of fallen Nassau County Police Officer Michael Califano, with a trust fund valued at $90,000 for her three children. Mayor Francis Murray and Police Commissioner Charles Gennario were on hand for the presentation, which took place at the Rockville Centre police headquarters on July 13.

A tax-deductible organization established in 1995, MCLEF provides assistance, with a $30,000 maturity value U.S. Government bond, for the education of each of the children of active duty Marines whose parent is killed or dies, and to children of federal and sometimes local law enforcement personnel whose parent is killed in the line of duty. The foundation also may grant awards for specific medical equipment for severely disabled active duty Marines.

MCLEF raises funds from annual scholarship galas and golf tournaments in cities across the United States, as well as from donations from individuals and corporations. It says that 97 percent of all donations, and the net proceeds from special events, are applied toward scholarships and medical payments.