Torpedo Artists Pool Funds for Officer Laboy

Artists and other Torpedo Factory supporters pooled their funds to present the Alexandria Police Association with a check Friday supporting Officer Peter Laboy.

The group collected $1,555 for the family of Officer Laboy, who was critically injured after being shot but currently is undergoing therapy.

Torpedo Factory Art Center Board CEO Eric Wallner and President Rosemary Covey sent an email last week to factory members.

"We are grateful for the kindness and help we have always received from local police and would like to help in this terrible situation," they wrote in the email, adding "This is a special one-time grassroots effort – please give if you feel so moved."

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The donations came from the Art League, Friends of the Torpedo Factory and from 28 individual artists at the factory. “Some who gave the most, have the least themselves,” Covey said. “I found the groups caring and involvement heart warming.”

Torpedo Factory artist and children’s book author Kathy Beynette suggested the initiative. Her son is a police officer and “she knows well the sacrifices made on a daily basis by the police,” Covey wrote to Patch via email.

"This was a grass roots situation. I did not do this in my role as TFACB president and although the Art League gave us a check, the ones from the artists were not an official gift just a human one," she said.