BELLEVUE, WI (WTAQ) – A $1,500 donation from Global Recognition was presented Wednesday to the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.
The money is proceeds from the sale of “Back the Blue” t-shirts.
Nicole Grieger with Global Recognition says the idea began with a simple request from one of her friends.
“She had reached out months ago and mentioned having some shirts done up for the group of them to show local support for her husband specifically,” Grieger said. “And it took off like no other.”
The Green Bay-based company, which specializes in customized recognition awards, imprinted apparel and business gifts, began selling the shirts with $5 from each sale to local law enforcement.
“Representing it by apparel was a great way to get out there and hopefully have law enforcement see, whether it’s on law enforcement or different community members, that there is a lot of support out there,” said Grieger.
That kind of community support is what’s touching for the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.
“Every day, I’m thankful for the community that we work in and the community that we serve and the support that we get,” said Capt. Jody Lemmens. “From seeing these shirts out in the community, to working different events and having citizens coming up and saying thank you for what you do.”
Lemmens says the money will be used to fund this year’s Citizens Police Academy. It begins on Thursday, September 29, and runs for 10 Thursdays.
Sheriff John Gossage explained that this was their way to use this monetary support to, in turn, support the community.
“Explain why it is what we do, how we do it and give a better understanding to the community of the law enforcement career,” Gossage said. “And hopefully generate some recruits so we can hire them on as police officers in the future.”
If you’re interested in buying a “Back the Blue” shirt, go to Global Recognition’s website.
