Monroe thanks firefighters, police with week of appreciation

Published 7:53 pm Sunday, November 13, 2011

MONROE — Monroe will be sprinkled with thank-you notes this week.

Churches, businesses and schools plan to participate in the annual “Police and Fire Appreciation Week.”

Many display red, white and blue thank-you posters in windows, as well as changing the messages on their marquees and reader boards.

The idea is to thank police officers and firefighters for everything they do, said Michael Hanford, a local pastor and longtime chaplain for the police and fire departments.

Hanford has been one of the main organizers since the appreciation week started in the late 1990s.

As a chaplain, he sees some of the worst police and fire calls, he said.

“They have some tough jobs to do,” he said. “Everywhere they go, they’re always in harm’s way. I’ve seen them time and time again risk their own lives to help others and to save others.”

Every year, Hanford and others involved in the appreciation week ask people in the community to have thanks in their hearts and maybe even write a thank-you note of their own, he said.

Many schools in the Monroe School District plan thank-you projects, district spokeswoman Rosemary O’Neil said.

Local police officers and firefighters stop by regularly to share safety lessons, she said. They also show up when something bad happens.

Each classroom decides whether to participate and what to do, she said. Many do art projects.

A private luncheon usually is the highlight of the week, Hanford said. Representatives come out from City Hall, Valley General Hospital and the Chamber of Commerce, among other groups.

This year, a special guest will be a local bank employee who wants to thank police for catching a robbery suspect earlier this year.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com