Serving All People of Brookhaven is promoting a special day tohonor mayors around the state, and the organization is looking toenlist the help of local police departments.

“Our organization, Serving All People, submitted an applicationto have a proclamation for a special day for all mayors throughoutthe state of Mississippi on Dec. 14,” said SAP spokesperson GwenSmith. “We stated we’d work with the police departments to be ableto have a Happy Holiday program where we would present to the mayora Happy Holiday greeting card from different businesses andchurches and individuals that wanted to put a holiday greeting inthe card to the mayor.”

Mayors are people too, said Smith, and they often bear the bruntof city problems and receive little of the praise.

“Mayors need encouragement because everyone isn’t perfect,” shesaid. “We need to have time to honor mayors that they can say,’This is my day,’ and keep them from having to think aboutpolitics.”

She said the idea was divinely inspired.

“There’s a thing called prayer. I’m just going to be honest andtell you like it is,” she said. “We were looking at some things wewanted to do and we knew that this was something we could do tohelp other people, to help serve people, and we could make it anannual program. Our organization is about serving all people, sowhenever we see that there’s a need we want to help.”

Smith said the greetings would cost a small fee, which has notbeen determined. Proceeds would go to benefit several differentorganizations. Forty percent would go to the police departments, 30percent to the local PTA, 5 percent would go to Faith CommunityFellowship in Jackson through SAP’s adopt-a-church program, and thefinal 25 percent would go to SAP itself.

“We would use it for Tour Mississippi and Fight For Food and ourother different programs,” Smith said about SAP’s portion of therevenue.

Smith is scheduled to speak to the Chiefs of Police Conferencein Jackson to pitch the idea to state law enforcement officials onNov. 1.

“Right now I’m getting the package and stuff together for whenwe meet Nov. 1 at the police association meeting,” said Smith.”We’re not requiring that they participate, but if they choose tothey can. It’s their choice; we’re not demanding that they dothat.”

Smith said she envisions PTAs and police departments around thestate having a luncheon on Dec. 14 to honor the mayors of theirrespective cities.

“I didn’t realize there were 197 mayors throughout the state ofMississippi,” she said. “Basically, the mayors and policemen willwork out a place in their communities where they can have aluncheon. I just hate that I can’t go to every one of them.”

The money that will be directed to the PTAs would be dispersedthrough the state office, Smith said.

“I talked to the PTA board in Jackson and she said the PTAs thatwant to participate can,” she said. “Then we turn the money intothe state office and they’d cut the check to the differentorganizations that participate.”

Another goal, Smith said, is to help school children through thefunding, and to promote harmony in every community in thestate.

“The kids need stuff, and we’d like for the PTAs to use it forwhatever they need to use it for,” she said. “It’s our goal that wewill all enjoy one day of peace and unity.”