FRANKLIN PARK, ILL.—Members of the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers (FCPO) from across North America are helping rebuild Gulfport-area homes of police officers and firefighters who have sacrificed personal needs while helping others rebuild their lives. Using building materials from manufacturers like Sloan Flushmate® and Mansfield Plumbing Products that have made donations, FCPO members have descended to the Gulf region to help peace officers deal with their own crises.
“These peace officers are heroes,” says Alec Dutt, a retired fire captain, who lives in Abbotsford, B.C., Canada. “They put aside their own personal issues to help others get their lives back together. We thought that it was important to give them a helping hand, too.”
After witnessing the destruction on television, Dutt and his wife, Laurie felt called by their faith to volunteer and help in the relief efforts. David Greenhalgh, another Canadian from Abbotsford, B.C., a retired police sergeant who is a member of the fellowship and the Canadian liaison to the local FCPO chapter in Gulfport, asked them to join him in the liaison team.
“When we arrived, we found the conditions to be just horrible,” Dutt says. “Since Mr. Greenhalgh was a retired police officer, we split duties so he oversaw the rebuilding of policemen’s homes, I looked after the firemen’s homes, and Laurie went to help the ‘Youth for Christ’ organization with their teams,” Dutt says. “My wife and I have been here four months but David’s commitment is to spend an entire year helping out. He is an amazing person.”
Dutt says that cumulative efforts of individuals and businesses will ensure the Gulf region becomes habitable again for those who were displaced.
“Some have called this a ‘disaster zone,’ but we call it a miracle zone,” he says. “The acts of kindness we witness every day are inspirational. We really appreciate Sloan Flushmate, Mansfield and so many other companies that pitched in to make a difference. We could not do the work we are doing without their help.”
Joe Bosman, Sloan Flushmate’s chief operating officer, says the company is proud to help.
“People across the country have freely given of their time and resources to help the people of the Gulf region and we wanted to pitch in where we could,” Bosman says. “The sentiment all along has been to rebuild the region and that’s exactly what’s happening now thanks to people like the Dutts and Mr. Greenhalgh.”
“We wanted to find a way to help the first-line emergency caregivers who are so often overlooked,” says Newbold Warden, vice president of marketing for Mansfield Plumbing Products, who extolled the mission of the FCPO. “Together with Sloan Flushmate, we were able to help the FCPO rebuild homes for people who have given so much of themselves. It was a chance for us to do something for them.”
The Flushmate division of Sloan Valve Co. and Mansfield Plumbing Products donated a shipment of pressure-assist toilets to help the FCPO in Gulfport, Miss. rebuild peace officers’ homes after the destruction left by Hurricane Katrina.
Go to Sloan Flushmate for more information.
