FBI Buffalo
December 03, 2013
Public Affairs Specialist Maureen P. Dempsey
(716) 843-1788
FBI Buffalo Presents 2013 Director’s Community Leadership Award
Brian P Boetig, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Buffalo Field
Office, has selected Gary Mervis as the recipient of the 2013 FBI Director’s Community
Leadership Award (DCLA) for Mervis’ work as chairman of the Project Exile Advisory Board
and his role as chairman and founder of Camp Good Days & Special Times Inc. SAC Boetig
presented the commemorative award on Tuesday, December 3, 2013, at 11:30 a.m. at Camp
Good Days & Special Times Inc. at 1332 Pittsford-Mendon Road in Mendon, New York.
The DCLA is a special award presented on behalf of the Director of the FBI. It was formally
created in 1990 as a way to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating
crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in America. Each year, the SAC of each FBI field office
has the opportunity, with input from FBI employees, to select an individual or organization that
has made a significant difference in the lives of others in their community. For the FBI to
successfully conduct investigations and protect the American people from crime and acts of
extremism, it has to have the support and understanding of the people it serves. That is why the
Buffalo Division values the dedicated work of community leaders like Mervis.
Mervis played a major role in bringing Project Exile to Rochester, New York, by providing the
community-partner component of the program. Modeled after the original Project Exile in
Richmond, Virginia, the Rochester program is a joint law-enforcement and community initiative
that has helped to remove more than 14,000 illegal guns from the streets of Rochester and
Monroe County.
As chairman of the Project Exile Advisory Board in Rochester, New York, since its
implementation in 1998, Mervis and representatives from more than a dozen law enforcement
agencies and community groups gather for regular Project Exile Advisory Board meetings.
Community groups include the city of Rochester’s Pathways to Peace and other faith-based
leaders, thereby advancing operations between law enforcement and minority groups.
Mervis’ Project Exile was the impetus for Project T.I.P.S. (Tips, Information, Programs, and
Services) outreach events that make a creative effort to solve trust issues between residents and
law enforcement. Several Project T.I.P.S. events are held during the summer to allow residents in
high-crime areas to interact with law enforcement, gain access to resources, and enjoy a cook-out
in a non-confrontational setting.
Mervis’ leadership qualities extend beyond his continuous efforts to make the streets of
Rochester and Monroe County safe. He is also the chairman and founder of Camp Good Days &
Special Times Inc., which offers children who have been diagnosed with cancer a residential
camping experience to allow them to enjoy being kids while undergoing therapies to treat their
cancers. Through this organization, Mervis has launched Cancer Mission 2020, a campaign to
support and create legislation related to the advancement of cancer research.
Mervis is a graduate of the FBI Buffalo Division’s Citizens Academy program, which brings
together civic, business, and religious leaders to experience firsthand how the FBI investigates
crimes and threats to our national security and to learn about the various tools and techniques the
FBI employs to carry out our mission.
FBI Director James Comey will present Mervis with the 2013 DCLA during a formal ceremony
at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., next spring.