OPP
OPP Project Glee
Orillia, ON
Team Captain: Celeste Bailey (911 Dispatcher)
Team Members:
Team Members: Deb Benjamin (911 Dispatcher), Valerie Burns (Detective Constable), Susanne Decock (Superintendent and Bureau Commander), Barry Farndon (Staff Sergeant), Ashley Keays (Native Awareness Trainer, Aboriginal Police), Nicholas Keays (Provincial Constable), Doug Sgariglia (Technology Trainer), Jeff Simpkins (Sergeant)
Ontario Provincial Police
With ranks ranging from Detective Constable to Sergeant to Superintendant to 911 Dispatcher, the OPP Project Glee team works hard every day to keep us safe. And with the seriousness and danger inherent in their jobs on a regular basis, the glee club they formed for Canada Sings has been a great outlet to release their daily pressures.
The OPP is always looking for fundraisers and events to support and it was Team Captain Celeste Bailey who put together OPP Project Glee after seeing two members of her organization (Ashley Keays and husband Nicholas) sing at an “OPP Idol” fundraising event. The team has a few other strong voices (Valerie Burns, Jeff Simpkins, and Celeste herself), but where are they on the dancing front?
“Dancers…we don’t really have any that are exceptional,” admits Celeste. Although she is quick to note that Barry Farndon surprised everyone with a full James Brown-esque splits – all the way to the floor back up again. “I’m going to say he’s around fifty years old,” says Celeste. “Everybody’s mouths just dropped.” Will Barry show off that move in the glee club’s television performance? It remains to be seen.
Despite a lack of dance savvy, the team is working hard to take home the Canada Sings prize money for their cause, the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund, started by Patrick Armstrong. Patrick was best friends with Dave Mounsey and first on the scene when Dave died in the line of duty. Patrick knew Celeste to be a go-getter and a leader, so he asked her to be president. The Fund’s purpose is to purchase and donate life-saving heart defibrillators. Team member Valerie’s brother passed away from a cardiac arrhythmia 25 years ago and she believes that if defibrillators such as these had been available, he may not have died.
“There were a lot of tears shed the week of our training because it really touches home,” says Celeste. “We want to do the charity proud. We want to do Dave proud.”
David Mounsey Memorial
Charity:
The Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund honours law enforcement officers, fire, paramedic, and military members who have died in the line of duty, as well as donates and promotes the use of life-saving defibrillators.
About OPP: Ontario Provincial Police The OPP is a permanent force of salaried police constables. It fulfills its mandate as one of North America's largest deployed police services with more than 6,100 uniformed officers, 2,700 civilian employees and 850 Auxiliary officers. 2009 marked the OPP's 100th anniversary.