Lisa Kleczkowski of The Villages is a past Special Olympics athlete and a regular at the Son Rise Cafe at Southern Trace shopping plaza.
She was thrilled to see Sumter County sheriff’s deputies acting as celebrity waiters and waitresses during the lunch shift Tuesday, raising money to support Special Olympics.
The fundraiser is called, Tip A Cop. Diners leave tips to support the Special Olympics program.
Deputy Bill Rappleyea was serving as her waiter.
“We love doing this. It’s a blast,” Rappleyea said.
Deputy Beatrice Ayala, a school resource officer at the Villages Charter School, said she had never worked as a waitress.
“I have a lot more respect for them now,” she joked.
SonRise owner Carol Laufersky said she was thrilled to have the celebrity wait staff working Tuesday.
“What I really like is that the money stays here locally,” Laufersky said.
If you missed Tuesday’s event, you have two more opportunities to join in Tip A Cop:
• Thursday, March 20 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Fire Grill – Lake Sumter Landing
• Tuesday, March 25 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at City Fire Grill – Brownwood