The Philadelphia Police Foundation (PPF) has received a $100,000 donation from Independence Blue Cross that will be used to purchase 120 state-of-the-art bulletproof vests for the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department.

The announcement of the donation, the largest corporate gift the PPF has ever received to replenish police department body armor, was jointly announced during a press event at Independence Blue Cross headquarters in Philadelphia by Maureen Rush, Foundation president and vice president for public safety and superintendent of police at the University of Pennsylvania; Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; and Independence Blue Cross president and CEO Daniel Hilferty.

“The brave men and women in the Philadelphia Police Department put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe,” Hilferty said. “This gift will help protect our brave officers and keep them safe.”

“The Philadelphia Police Foundation is grateful to Independence Blue Cross for its concern for the health and welfare of our men and women in blue and their families,” Rush said. “I encourage other major companies in our region to follow Dan Hilferty’s lead and make an investment in the safety of our city by supporting the Philadelphia Police Department through a donation to the nonprofit Philadelphia Police Foundation.”

During the event, Hilferty indicated that the $100,000 contribution is the start of a longer-term commitment by Independence Blue Cross to help the Philadelphia Police Foundation replenish needed vests in the future for the city’s 6,500 police officers.

The Philadelphia Police Foundation (www.phillypolicefoundation.org) was established in 1999 by civic and corporate leaders in the Philadelphia region as “A Force Behind the Shield.” The Foundation’s primary focus is to assist the officers of the Philadelphia Police Department by funding urgently needed special programs, equipment and community endeavors not provided in the City of Philadelphia’s annual budget.