Light your porch blue for law enforcement

JACKSON, Tenn. — When you decorate for the holidays, you may think of red and green, but some in Madison County are adding in blue.

“We felt like something needed to be done to let our local law enforcement know, in particular the local area to know, that the county and community is behind them,” Bill Luther said who helped spearhead the “Blue Strong” initiative in Madison County.

Luther said he hopes this will be a show of support for local law enforcement when they come through each neighborhood.

Local hardware stores such as Ace Hardware, Home Depot, and Lowe’s have agreed to order a large inventory of blue lights for you to purchase.

“Some of the local businesses have made arrangements to get a supply of bulbs in so that they can have them in their light fixtures, or even suggesting they decorate their Christmas tree in blue lights,” Luther said.

Organizers said they hope you’ll keep your porch lit until January 10th, which will mark the third “Blue Strong” event at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in downtown Jackson.

“We’re going red, white, and blue, which means fire departments, city and county, and also EMS and the first responders, so it’s kind of widening the scope,” said Tom Mapes with the Madison County Sheriff’s Dept.

Mapes said it is important to not only support these men and women, but also get to know them.

“It’s really important to know the community appreciates what they’re doing. They’re putting their lives on the line and they’ve chosen to do that. That’s a rare breed of an individual to say, ‘Hey, I’m leaving the house this morning and I hope to come home tonight,” Mapes said.

Luther said you can also help officers in times of need by donating to an important fund.

The “Blue Strong” fund helps put on the event in January, but also serves as a benevolence fund to first responders in times of need.

If you’d like to donate to the benevolence fund or learn more about it, click here.

The mailing address to support the fund is:

West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation, 620 Skyline Drive, Jackson, TN 38301.

For more information about the event or to learn how you can help, email Bill Luther at brobill@loveandtruthchurch.com.