September 15, 2010
Challenge of the Heroes Charity Fundraiser
News Review

Eight Douglas County restaurants were filled with more than 30 police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians Thursday evening for the eighth annual Challenge of the Heroes charity fundraiser.

Instead of arresting criminals or extinguishing fires, the volunteers took orders and served dinners.

The challenge was to see which restaurant could raise the most funds for Mercy Foundation's Children's Healthcare program. Each year the event brings in between $9,000 and $15,000 and has raised close to $100,000 since its inception, said foundation executive Lisa Platt.

In addition to Roseburg, restaurants in Sutherlin, Winston and Glide took part. The amount raised Thursday had not been tallied up in time for today's newspaper.

The foundation supports children suffering from serious illnesses, provides medical equipment to hospitals and gives dental care to uninsured children, among other services, Platt said.

Master officer Dave Dunn from the Roseburg police participated in his third challenge at Brix 527 in Roseburg. His biggest goal was to not spill anything and come out ahead of the other restaurants on tips, Dunn said.

He knew it wasn't going to be easy, however, as Brix 527 owner Misty Russell had a full house of reservations and games that included racing around the block with trays of water and speed-setting tables planned for the evening.

“It is a fun time to look pretty silly serving people food. It's the toughest job in the world,” Dunn said.

The hardest part of being a waiter for Roseburg Fire Chief Mike Lane was trying to remember each person's order when passing the food out at the table.

Although he was the only firefighter at the restaurant, Lane said he was used to working as a team with the police. He would need all the help he could get at the event, Lane joked.

“I did it last year, and I worked my you-know-what off,” Lane said. “It's terribly tough work. There is a lot of stuff going on.”

Sgt. Dave Randall of the Oregon State Police was the rookie of the event and the only first-time participant. He seemed to be getting the hang of it as he refilled drinks and chatted with customers.

“That is the thing about being a police officer, we are prepared for any situation,” Randall said.

Misty Russell and her husband, Officer Mark Russell of the Roseburg Police Department, helped organize this year's event and recruited officials from state, county and city agencies.

Mark Russell said it was pretty easy to get fellow emergency personnel involved in the event. The restaurant had a lot of loyal customers to make sure the volunteers stayed on their toes, he said.

Roseburg's Caroline Link went with her husband, Ray, and several friends from the Littlebrook Retirement Community to have dinner and make a donation.

The dinner was delicious, Caroline Link said, and the service was outstanding. The Links said they would be back next year.

“They just knocked themselves out working. They really were great,” Caroline Link said of the hero servers.

Ray Link also found another benefit of being waited on by police officials.

“There is no way you are going to get robbed while you are in here,” Ray Link said.

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