On February 12th, Pete and Renae Shutrop of Helena Township presented 141 suicide prevention “Life Coins” to the Scott County Sheriff’s Office as part of a campaign to save the lives of first responders through the Wrestling4Life program.
The coins will be distributed to every Deputy, Corrections Officer and Dispatcher in the Sheriff’s Office and feature the phone number for ‘Safe Call Now,’ an anonymous suicide prevention hotline that specifically handles trauma and other issues affecting first responders.
Wrestling4Life was created by Carol Castle (founder and director of the Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame) of Coon Rapids, Minnesota. She created the program and the coins to bring public awareness to the double and triple suicide rates among first responders, and in memory of her son, Maury, a Maple Grove firefighter who took his own life in 2017.
The Shutrops learned about the Life Coins on a local news segment last month and both agreed they wanted to support the program. Renae formerly worked in the Civil Division of the Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff Doug Tietz and Sheriff Bill Nevin, and Pete currently works at the County Highway Department and is on the Board of Directors for the Scott County Fair. They wanted to show their support to those that support them. The cause is also personal to them, as their son works as an Officer for Rutgers University in New Jersey.
“We felt compelled to show our support for the men and women that make up the Scott County Sheriff’s Office,” said Pete. “It was an easy decision to support the Sheriff’s Office because of their support of the County Fair. It is our hope that these coins and the support the Wrestling4Life group offers will give the deputies that carry these another tool to help them deal with the challenges that they and their families encounter each day because they chose to put on a uniform. Thanks for all the Scott County Sheriff Office does to keep us safe each day.”
“This issue hits close to home for our office and for our colleagues in neighboring communities who recently lost officers to suicide,” said Sheriff Luke Hennen. “We want our employees to know that there is no shame in reaching out to get help – your health and family are more important than anything else. Thank you to Pete and Renae for their generous support in providing this additional resource to our staff and helping bring awareness to this epidemic.”
To learn more about the “Life Coin” program, please visit www.wrestling4life.org.
Safe Call Now ((206) 459-3020) is a CONFIDENTIAL, comprehensive, 24-hour crisis referral service for all public safety employees, all emergency services personnel and their family members nationwide.
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