TAKING A BITE OUT OF CRIME
Woman comes to the aid of Crime Stoppers
By TIM GULLA Ledger Staff Writer tim@gaffneyledger.com

Ledger photo / TIM GULLA Benna Thompson, owner of Benna's Sports Club on West Floyd Baker Boulevard, hangs another paper badge on the wall of her club. She's selling the badges to help raise funds for Cherokee County's Crime Stoppers, a program that allows people to call in anonymous tips to help police solve crimes. The program has been running low on donations, causing Sheriff Bill Blanton to put out a public plea for donations last week.

It didn't take long for Benna Thompson to answer Sheriff Bill Blanton's call.

Within hours of reading a story in The Gaffney Ledger about Blanton's plea for donations to the Cherokee County Crime Stoppers program, she started coming up with multiple plans for fundraisers.

Thompson, the owner of Benna's Sports Club on West Floyd Baker Boulevard, already has a successful track record in raising funds for charity. Two previous fundraising drives she organized for cancer patients raised more than $5,500.

To help Crime Stoppers she started selling paper badges for $1 each that people can sign and hang in the club. About 80 had already been sold as of Saturday and were taped up on the walls. Sure of the generosity of others for the cause, she had more than 200 printed.

Her plans aren't limited to just that, however.

"We already have a poker run (motorcycle rally) planned for April and we're planning a golf tournament as soon as the weather warms up," she said.

She also has plans to hold a charity pool tournament and a benefit concert at her bar in the near future.

All of the money raised will go to the Crime Stoppers program.

Blanton, who started the Cherokee County Crime Stoppers program about eight years ago, sent out a plea last week for help in funding the program.

The local Crime Stoppers program, which is one of about 1,200 worldwide, allows people to call in anonymous tips on crimes and it also gives rewards for information that helps police make arrests.

Police say the Crime Stoppers program is an invaluable tool to have at their disposal. A recent tip to the Crime Stoppers line helped Cherokee County Sheriff's Office make four arrests in the murder of a Cowpens man.

However, donations to the local Crime Stoppers program have not materialized over the years. Blanton said last Tuesday the Crime Stoppers reward fund was down to just $500, which wouldn't be enough to cover the program's stated rewards for information on any major case.

That's why he was seeking any help that individuals, clubs or civic organizations could offer.

Thompson didn't blink when faced with the sheriff's public request.

"(The program is) for the community," she said. "This community's been good to us. I don't see why we wouldn't give back."

She wishes it was warm right now, though, because she knows the absolute best way to raise cash. "We'd do a dunking booth, which raises a bunch of money," she said.

She could place managers or owners of other local businesses in the booth and give their employees a crack at them, she joked. "But it's too cold to do that."