Cook Winston-Salem supports Operation Sweet Reads

Scott Sewell, vice president, technology acquisition and development at Cook Winston-Salem, is currently serving in his second year as president of the Winston-Salem Police Foundation. We caught up with Scott recently to talk about Cook’s support for the foundation’s new initiative, Operation Sweet Reads. Cook is helping the foundation raise funds for a unique vehicle—a combination ice cream truck and bookmobile, which will be part of a major outreach initiative by the Winston-Salem Police Department. The department will use the Sweet Reads truck to engage local children with ice cream and books, helping build relationships between kids and local officers, while simultaneously promoting literacy and education.

What is the Winston-Salem Police Foundation?

The Winston-Salem Police Foundation provides the critical resources needed to help the police department create innovative community–police partnership programs that will make Winston-Salem a safer place to live, work, and enjoy life.

How does Cook Winston-Salem support the Police Foundation?

First, we support the police officers with programs that show our appreciation for what they do for the community. That includes barbeque gatherings, plaques to recognize when an officer is promoted, wreathes to honor fallen police officers, and equipment that helps maintain officer and public safety.

The second thing we do is provide resources for community outreach. Usually this focuses on children at risk. We are currently involved in a capital campaign to raise $140,000 for Operation Sweet Reads. This campaign will help us purchase a vehicle for a mobile library that also serves ice cream. The police officers will invite the kids to come on board the special truck for an ice cream treat and to listen as an officer reads the child a book. The hope is to get kids interested in reading while building a relationship with policemen.

How did your team choose this particular organization?

When we were asked to become involved, it was during a period when numerous high-profile police–civilian confrontations were occurring across the country. After careful thought, we believed that the police needed our support and that the foundation could be a big help to them and the community at large. We feel that the foundation can make a positive difference in people’s lives.

Why is Cook so committed to supporting the Winston-Salem Police Foundation and other organizations in the region? 

I think it really comes down to following in the footsteps of the Cook family, which has a long history of giving back to their communities. We are fortunate that our company supports us in being a positive force in the communities where we work and live. We’re proud to be part of that strong tradition, and we’re proud to be a good corporate citizen. We truly believe that making a positive difference in our community is always the right thing to do. At the same time, it reinforces our reputation for strong ethics and integrity.

On a final note, I would like to thank Cook Winston-Salem’s marketing team for its tremendous creative help with promoting the Operation Sweet Reads initiative. Thanks also to the Winston-Salem Journal for publishing a column about our efforts to support Sweet Reads.

Keep up with the Sweet Reads campaign and other activities from the Winston-Salem Police Foundation at www.facebook.com/wspolicefoundation/