Interview with Jeff DeRuyter – Chief of Police
Last month at our Broker Appreciation Event, we spoke to Jeff DeRuyter — Chief of the Guelph Police Department — about what the community of Guelph means to him and why it’s so important that Guelph is hosting the Special Olympics this year. The Halwell Broker Appreciation Event was a fundraiser for the Guelph Special Olympics and Jeff DeRuyter was kind enough to speak at the event.
You can check some awesome photos from the evening on our Facebook page!
Jeff DeRuyter has been the Chief of the Guelph Police for over a year now. He started as a constable and worked his way up through the force, over the course of 32 years. He never expected to be where he is today, but he is thrilled to be given the opportunity to serve such an amazing community!
“I’m really proud to lead our service and lead our community,” he tells us.
When we ask him about what makes the Special Olympics so important, he explains that they have been the charity of choice for Ontario’s Chiefs of Police for many years. It’s a relationship that the Chiefs of Police have with the Special Olympians. He believes that it’s very important to give them these opportunities, which so many of us have, that they were historically excluded from (before the Special Olympics started).
“It’s a tremendous chance to see them thrive, to support them, and to learn from them.” Jeff explains. “It doesn’t matter if you’re having a bad day, if you spend it with a Special Olympian, it’s just so rewarding and inspirational.”
Guelph and Wellington County have been very supportive of the Special Olympics at many levels, Jeff tells us. So many organizations, like Halwell Mutual Insurance, have came forward: not-for-profits, small and large corporations, local businesses and individuals. But the real story was the volunteers!
“We have 600 volunteers [for the event],” Jeff recounts. “We actually had to turn people away.”
Jeff was also full of praise for fundraiser events like Halwell’s, aimed at raising both money and awareness for the Special Olympics. As the date of the games approaches, he describes how the community has continued to come together around the event.
“Events like these are really about creating energy and excitement,” he explains. “Our community has embraced this and it is so exciting. We are delighted to lead it, but it is a community event.”
Halwell is thrilled to be a part of the effort — one of many organizations helping to support the Special Olympics in Guelph for 2016. We would like to thank Jeff DeRuyter for taking the time to do the interview and look forward to start of the Games on May 26th!
Contact us to learn more about Halwell Mutual Insurance and the other ways we support the community!
