NORWICH – The owner of Eastern Travel showed her appreciation to the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office last week, thanking the county law enforcement agency for its continued support of an annual bus trip which gives area a students a chance to visit our nation’s capital.

Cam Morris is the owner and operator of the Oneonta-based motorcoach company. Last week, she traveled to Norwich to present Chenango County Sheriff Ernest R. Cutting, Jr. with a $500 check. The money is intended to help offset the cost to the Sheriff’s Office of sending a deputy and patrol car to accompany the bus company’s annual Safety Patrol trip to Washington D.C.

“Thank you so much for all of your support,” Morris said, as she presented the check to Cutting.

According to Morris, a deputy from the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office has accompanied the trip since its inception some 65 years ago. Having a deputy present during the trip not only reassures parents of their children’s safety and security, she explained, but also helps portray law enforcement officers in a positive light.

Since 1997, Deputy Kent Smith has been designated as the Sheriff’s Office’s representative on the trip.

“It’s a real positive thing for the kids to see (Deputy Smith) interacting,” she said, “He’s essential.”