LEAD Upstate prepares annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Day honoring Greenville County officers

Organizers and volunteers with LEAD Upstate are finalizing preparations for the 2026 Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (LEAD Day), the region’s largest annual initiative dedicated to recognizing officers who serve throughout Greenville County.

With the event set for Friday, September 18, at the Greenville Downtown Airport, the organization is packing hundreds of custom “Valor Bags” and coordinating drive-through stations designed to deliver breakfast, gifts, and community gratitude to officers as they head to and from their shifts. LEAD works all year long to make this event meaningful for the officers, some will be there as early as 5:30 AM waiting to drive through the “line of gratitude.”

The morning drive-through model allows frontline personnel from municipal, county, and state agencies to participate without disrupting daily emergency patrols. In 2026, the initiative will support officers from nine law enforcement bodies active across the county:

• Fountain Inn Police Department

• Mauldin Police Department

• Simpsonville Police Department

• Greenville Police Department

• Greer Police Department

• Travelers Rest Police Department

• Greenville County Sheriff’s Office

• South Carolina Highway Patrol

• South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)

The event is backed by presenting sponsor Kelly Willenberg & Associates, alongside a roster of regional corporate and community partners including Southern Tide, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, CPI Security, Indigo Hope Foundation, Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU), Windsor Aughtry, Smith Dray Line, Marchant Real Estate, and Lance & Erin Leopold.

What began more than a decade ago as a casual gesture of buying breakfast for officers at Tommy’s Ham House has expanded into an expansive, community-wide show of support. Each participating officer receives a loaded Valor Bag filled with items, commemorative apparel, breakfast provided by three CFA franchise owners, a challenge coin, and more. Some will even pick up items they have won in the week long prize drawings leading up to the event.

Organizers emphasize that corporate and individual sponsorships directly fund the logistics and gift items that make the annual appreciation event possible. Additional details regarding community contributions and volunteer involvement can be found at LEAD Upstate.