Planning underway for Mississippi County’s Back the Blue event in June

Pictured are front row, from left: Phillip Turner and Anna Ferrell; and back row: Amanda Hall, Marilyn Miller, Tiffany Brantley and Terry Parker. Volunteers not pictured are: Barbara McCann, Lil McKinney, Daphne Thomas, Terry Brantley, Danny Harris and Danita Keen.

CHARLESTON, Mo. — The Mississippi County Back the Blue volunteers recently held a planning meeting to discuss the Third Annual Mississippi County Back the Blue Banquet which honors all current law enforcement officers and first responders and their families who are serving in Mississippi County while recognizing an outstanding Law Enforcement Officer and First Responder of the Year. 

This year’s event will be at 6 p.m. June 6 at the Charleston United Methodist Church Family Life Center. 

“We are excited to have so many new volunteers helping with the banquet this year and welcome any other volunteers to join us in honoring these men and women who serve in our county,” said Terry Parker, who serves as Mississippi County coroner. “In addition, we are looking forward to receiving the nominations from our area agencies and selecting this year’s award winners.” 

The banquet honors all employees working with the following agencies:  Anniston Volunteer Fire Department, Bertrand Police and Fire Department, Charleston Department of Public Safety, East Prairie Police and Fire Department, Mississippi County Ambulance District, Mississippi County Coroner’s Office, Mississippi County Juvenile Detention Center, Mississippi County Rescue Squad, Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Missouri Department of Conservation and Wyatt Police and Fire Department.

According to Anna Ferrell, one of the new projects the group has taken on this year is creating a scholarship fund for local high school students who plan attend the SEMO Law Enforcement Academy or EMS Training.  “We have many local students who express an interest in attending the law enforcement academy or pursuing a career in emergency services; however, there are no local scholarships to assist these young people in achieving their goals,” said Ferrell. “We want to be able to provide at least one scholarship each year to a student in Mississippi County, and hopefully, they will come back and serve here as well.” 

This year’s guest speaker will be Missouri State Representative of the 148th District, Holly Rehder. Rehder is a strong supporter of law enforcement and has worked extremely hard to enact a prescription drug monitoring program in the form of The Narcotics Control Act.

As a mission and goal of the Mississippi County Back the Blue, the event is hosted free-of-charge to all invited attendees. Donations, door prizes, and sponsorships are welcome and very much appreciated. 

For more information on how to donate, please contact any member of the Mississippi County Back the Blue volunteer organization or Anna Ferrell at aferrell@focusbank.com.