News
Elbert 5.2.13
Elbert County
May 2, 2013
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A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourelbertcountynews.com
Elbert County, Colorado • Volume 118, Issue 14
Sheriff to raise school presence Patrol cars, officers intended to offer protection for kids By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com
Visitors to the April 20 groundbreaking for the home of injured veteran Matt Parker included residents from across the Front Range. The home is among five Homes for Our Troops houses in the Wild Pointe Reserve in Elizabeth. Photos by Rhonda Moore
Elizabeth big draw for wounded vets Homes for Our Troops starts fifth area house By Rhonda Moore
rmoore@ourcoloradonews.com It is a word-of-mouth campaign that speaks volumes for the young veterans who select Elizabeth as the place to raise their families. The organization Homes for Our Troops broke ground April 20 on the fifth home in the Reserve at Wild Pointe Ranch subdivision, in response to the wishes of the wounded veterans at the receiving end of the national outreach. Founded in 2004, Homes for Our Troops builds houses for veterans who return from wars in the Middle East with severe, lifealtering injuries. The homes are provided at no cost to the veterans’ families and are custom-built with the injuries of the veteran in mind. Once the organization has identified the recipient veteran, the first order of business is to find out where the veteran wants to live. In recent years, five have pointed to Elizabeth, said Dawn Teixeira, executive director of Homes for Our Troops. “The members of this community have been so amazingly supportive,” Teixeira said. “That word gets around to other veterans. (The wounded veteran community) is such a close-knit community that they know each other and hear great things about Elizabeth and this area.” Teixeira attended the April 20 groundbreaking for the latest Homes for Our Troops house in Wild Pointe, a 3,000-square-foot ranch house for Army Sgt. Matt Parker and his family. Parker, 28, was wounded on Christmas Eve, 2006, by an improvised explosive dePOSTAL ADDRESS
hOMES FOR OUR TROOPS Q&A • Who do you provide assistance to? We provide assistance to the most severely injured service members who have been injured in combat operations since September 11, 2001. • Does Homes for Our Troops charge the veteran for the home? No. The veteran does not pay anything toward the cost of the home, and there is no mortgage to be paid in the future. • Do you help severely wounded service members from all branches of the military? Yes, we provide assistance to members of all branches of the military who qualify for our assistance. Source: Homes for Our Troops
‘The members of this community have been so amazingly supportive. That word gets around to other veterans.’
Army veteran Matt Parker, his wife Nina Parker and daughter Rylie attend the April 20 groundbreaking of their new home donated by Homes for Our Troops.
Dawn Teixeira “We know all the other vets out here,” Parker said. “We can’t wait to move in. We love it out here.” Among the friends Parker will be joining are Tim (TJ) Johannsen, 28, who lost both of his legs in 2007 and moved into his Elizabeth home in 2011. In an effort to give back to Homes for Our Troops, Johannsen for the last three years has hosted a golf tournament fundraiser at Spring Valley Golf Course, raising money for the organization, which is supported by donations. This year Johannsen is joined by fellow Homes for Our Troops recipient Patrick (PJ) Glavey, 29, who is hosting a golf tournaPrinted on recycled ment fundraiser in his new community of newsprint. Please Thornton. recycle this copy. So far, Johannsen has raised $60,000 for the organization. “It’s just fun to give back,” Johannsen said. “People really respond to golf and I just love golf. I’m shooting (to break) $100,000 this year.”
vice during his first deployment in Ramadi, Iraq. He lost both of his legs in the blast and spent the next 16 months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, undergoing more than a dozen surgeries before he could medically retire. When he and his wife were asked by Homes for Our Troops where they would like to live, Elizabeth was at the top of the list. They expect to be in their new home by Christmas.
Elbert County Sheriff Shayne Heap wants to increase school safety, with armed officers stationed at area schools. The effort is part of sweeping safety measures the sheriff’s office plans among the schools it protects, which include those outside of municipal jurisdictions. The schools impacted will include Legacy and Singing Hills elementary schools in Elizabeth and the Elbert School in Elbert. The proposed security measures include patrol vehicles parked in school parking lots, mental health training for school district employees and adoption Heap of the Text-a-Tip program already implemented in neighboring districts. In an online video produced by the sheriff’s office, Heap remained critical of the state Legislature, which he said failed to address child protection in its effort to increase gun safety. “In all the legislation passed, it’s appalling to me nothing has been done to protect our children,” Heap said. “Our children are no more safe today than they were when (the Colorado General Assembly) started this legislation.” To increase school security, the sheriff’s office intends to dispatch retired and reserve officers to be on duty at the targeted schools, Heap said. To increase law enforcement visibility around the schools, patrol vehicles will be equipped with the technology to allow deputies to remotely file paperwork from their squad cars. “They’ll be in school parking lots watching and working at the same time,” Heap said. By the end of May, the sheriff’s office will launch the Text-a-Tip program, which provides an anonymous way to send word of a crime or security concern to local law enforcement. Since 2009, Text-a-Tip has been used at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, which says the program has saved 11 lives since its inception. To increase awareness about the risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems in adolescents, schools will receive training through the public education program, Youth Mental Health First Aid. “It’s a matter of understanding the importance of early intervention and teaches how to help a youth in crisis,” Heap said. The sheriff’s office will also conduct training on school lockdowns, natural disasters and intruder safety assessment drills. “The risk still exists that we could have another school tragedy,” Heap said. “It’s time we pull together to protect our children and quit waiting on a dysfunctional system to help.” The Elizabeth C-1 School District, the county’s largest district, is discussing the Sheriff continues on Page 6