Local law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes served tables side by side at Texas Roadhouse in Corpus Christi as part of the annual Tip-A-Cop fundraiser benefiting Special Olympics Texas.Officers from the Corpus C hristi Police Department, Robstown Police Department, Alice Police Department, Nueces County, and the Texas Department of Public Safety joined athletes from the Coastal Bend Special Olympics team for the event. Every tip collected during the event went directly to local athletes to help cover expenses tied to competition, including required medical physicals, travel to tournaments, and room and board. Local law enforcement officers and Special Olympics athletes team up at Texas Roadhouse for Tip-A-Cop fundraiserGuests could also support the cause by purchasing Special Olympics apparel, with proceeds benefiting the program.To donate or learn more about Special Olympics Texas, visit sotx.org or find SOTX2 on Facebook.Fannon Feldman, managing partner for Texas Roadhouse in Corpus Christi, said the event reflects the restaurant's commitment to its community."It's not about just the food or coming in and having a great meal, which you know you can always do that, but it's always been about giving back. We give back to our people, we give back to our communities, we make an impact every day."Feldman said the statewide reach of Tip-A-Cop makes the night even more significant."We are locally owned and operated, and it just brings me so much joy that we can serve our community, not just great food, but to bring in those funds and to help all of the Special Olympics and any special events that go on." Feldman added that having officers and athletes working the floor together was central to the experience."We have local police department and the athletes from Special Olympics that are coming in today that are going to help with the service and just really get to be part of what the Texas Roadhouse experience is about, and we just really hope that we have a great turnout and raised lots of money for Special Olympics tonight." Tip-A-Cop is held annually at every Texas Roadhouse location across the state of Texas on the same night.Jayden Burch, a multi-sport athlete with the Coastal Bend Special Olympics team who competed in bowling and basketball, said the fundraiser is about more than just money."So this is a Tip-A-Cop Special Olympic athletes fundraiser to create donation for Special Olympic athletes to enjoy sports and just have fun and just donate for some nice wonderful police officers with our help."Burch said competing in multiple sports is a source of pride and joy for him."I like being an athlete because I love to do any kind of sports, sports that's what I like to do every single day because I can get out of the house and do something fun with my friends."DPS Safety Education Sergeant Rob Mallory said the partnership between law enforcement and Special Olympics athletes is one he looks forward to every year."Me personally, I just love being around these athletes. They're so excited to compete and they're always so excited when we're there partnering with them. It doesn't matter the day I'm having, when I get around these athletes, it puts a huge smile on my face."Mallory said the donations raised during Tip-A-Cop have a direct and lasting impact on athletes throughout the year."There's opportunities to earn medals in those multiple sports. There's opportunities to travel to state and even to nationals, and so the donations we get tonight will support these athletes as they continue on their journey throughout the year competing in a multitude of sports."Sheri Stinson, community outreach director for Special Olympics Texas Area Two, said Special Olympics serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities starting at age 8, with no upper age limit."Special Olympics has a place for everybody. We have sports for folks that happen to have disabilities, but we have opportunities to be sponsors, coaches, heads of delegation. We have opportunities for folks to come in and volunteer at our competitions and at our events and at things like Tip-A-Cop."Stinson said the athletes themselves are the most powerful voices for the program."The athletes are way better about talking about Special Olympics than I ever could be, is the truth. They are the real ambassadors of our program and just to see the smiles on their faces when they're going out and getting to tell everybody what amazing experiences they have with Special Olympics."Stinson said the turnout at Thursday's event was encouraging for the program's future in the Coastal Bend."The best thing to see is the reaction. The people that they're talking to, everybody tonight has walked out of those doors with a huge smile on their face, and it's just been such a joyful experience and just seeing the turnout that we've had tonight for Tip-A-Cop has been really encouraging for me and for our program as a whole in this area."This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App. Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today! ...read more read less