It’s the community’s turn to give back to first responders, and MS Adopt-a-Hero has taken the first step.
Adopt-a-Hero President Jamie Stone thanked first responders and presented equipment donations to local law enforcement at New Covenant Presbyterian Church on Wednesday evening.
“What you all do is difficult,” Stone said. “Other than doing some incredibly stupid things when I was young, I’ve never risked my life, and I think that’s what sets you all apart, and that’s how we got the name ‘Adopt-a-Hero.’
“We wanted the community to think about what a hero is.”
MS Adopt-a-Hero’s goal is to raise money through events while also giving the community a chance to show appreciation and support for first responders in person.
In April, Stone said the Adopt-a-Hero board members met with first responders and held a meet-and-greet.
“The first thing we did was ask the first responders what they needed, and so we have a list of what they want,” he said. “It’s not huge what we’re doing here as far as volume and the stuff we’ve got, but it’s our first year … We hope to raise more money next year.”
In its first year, Stone said the organization raised around $20,000.
“We hope to double or triple that next year as we have some more events,” he said.
The main fundraiser was a golf tournament held in August, which helped raise money for the equipment donations, which included:
• A defibrillator for the McComb Fire Department.
• Tactical gloves for the Pike County Sheriff’s Department
• Outer carrier vests for the McComb Police Department
• Glock sight and cleaning kit for the Summit Police Department
• Active shooter bail out bags for the Mississippi Highway Patrol
“We do have one first responder on our board and that’s Adam Purser from the highway patrol,” Stone said. “He said the feedback from his people was tremendous.”
Additionally, McComb Police Chief Damian Gatlin sent Adopt-a-Hero a letter, thanking them for their donation.
“I will always be thankful for donations that will provide officers with extra comfort and protection,” Gatlin wrote. “As you well know, officers risk their lives every day; sometimes it goes unnoticed. People like you reaffirm our commitment to always protect the people we serve, citywide and abroad.”
Stone said Gatlin’s letter and the response he’s gotten from other first responders “just made it all worthwhile.”
Adopt-a-Hero’s next fundraising event will be the ‘Hero Dash’ on May 11 at Bogue Chitto Water Park in conjunction with Scenic Rivers.
“It has the potential in bring in hundreds of people and we’re going to make the first responders the focus of the attention and show our appreciation and respect,” Stone said. “We’ll have our golf tournament again in the summer and maybe something in the fall along the way as we earn the money.”
