Trey Lambert from Perfect Turf landscaping company is the man in charge of putting up the tree at the Ne-Mar shopping center. He said while it’s a lot of work, it’s also a lot of fun work. “We love the community and the tree’s kind of an icon in Claremore so to put the tree up was pretty an honor,” Lambert said. Lambert says he was paid $1,600 for the work, which he’s decided to donate to buy a ballistic shield. “To be able to do this to a scale where it benefits the community in a protective point really means a lot for us,” Lambert said.
Suburban Chevrolet of Claremore, Oklahoma has once again demonstrated its strong commitment to the safety and security of the local community by donating $5,000 to The Stand 1st Foundation as part of the 2023 Chevy First Responder Program. This marks the second consecutive year of Suburban Chevrolet's support. This partnership serves as a shining example of the positive impact that community collaboration between businesses and local organizations can have on enhancing public safety and unity.
October 2023 - Corporal Caleb Samson with the Bartlesville Police Department is the Student Resource Officer at Wayside Elementary School in Bartlesville. He’s thankful for shields that can save lives in case the worst happens. ”'They've been very beneficial, just knowing that we have easy access to those,” said Samson. “We do have a school resource officer in every school in Bartlesville now, starting at the beginning of this school year. Having a shield accessible to every school resource officer in every school is a huge benefit for us."
December 2022 - He said the goal of Stand First is to save lives. "The need is endless, first of all they need to be in every law enforcement vehicle that goes down the road. I think they need to be in every school that exist, every church, maybe some commercial buildings," he said. Lynch said the goal is to have nine ballistic shields for Bartlesville Police by the start of the next school year.
August 2022 - "Our Schools safety and security is a top priority for us. This shield will help us to ensure that the schools have the property safety and security for our children! The shield has been assigned to the School Resource Officer so it will be readily accessible."
August 2022 - “We can't prevent the tragedy, but these shields, I think we're going to be able to go in and stop that tragedy from escalating any further," Lynch said. "Let's put a shield in front of every officer,” Lynch said. “That's the goal here. That's why I got involved with the shields was to protect our children, our teachers, and our community. And I think every school officer should have one."
December 2021 - In October of 2021, Pottawatomie County Deputy Gary Knowles was shot several times while on duty. Stand 1st founder and president Scott Walton thought it imperative to get the Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Office a ballistic shield as soon as possible and so in December of 2021 they became the first agency to receive a ballistic shield donation. Deputy Knowles stated "It's a good cause, eight-pound shield.. when they work they work, and it could have lessened my event,".
Sheriff Scott Walton with the Stand1st Foundation donated a ballistic shield to the Muskogee Police Department, Muskogee County Sheriff's Office and Ft. Gibson Police Department. The funds used were donated by American Bank of Oklahoma and several local businessmen.
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