Rochester Area Foundation Spotlight
“Law Enforcement officers are called to respond to a wide variety of calls for service including critical incidents, people in crisis, traffic accidents, and death scenes. Additionally, within their service, officers are also called to provide counsel and comfort for people in need, often at the most unnerving time in people’s lives. This is an incredibly daunting task that takes its toll, creating both acute and chronic stressors on our law enforcement public servants,” states Rochester Police Department Chief Jim Franklin.
Who serves those who serve?
A relatively new nonprofit organization, Salt & Light Partners, is working to fill that need, with trained chaplains providing care and counsel to local law enforcement officers, first responders, and caregivers. Founded in 2021, Salt & Light Partners mission is to “serve those who serve.” Executive Director, Chaplain, and Founder, George Beech explains, “Salt & Light Partners chaplains bring a sense of calm to the emergency scene, and upon arrival they quickly assess who needs critical support in the midst of chaos. It could be the family who has just lost a loved one, or possibly the Deputy responding who happens to know the injured person involved.”
From its inception with one chaplain, Salt & Light Partners, with great leadership and support, has been able to increase its community service with the addition of 13 chaplains. Each has their own wealth of education and experience and a different faith background, supporting the Rochester Police Department, Rochester Fire Department, and Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.
As a faith-based organization, George believes that “Faith is why they do the service work they do, but it is not what they do,” meaning that chaplaincy is about caring for the whole person, heart and spirit, regardless of their background.
“The chaplain program is a game changer for our firefighters. Our firefighters see things that most people don’t and it is shortsighted to believe that caregivers don’t also need care. Having chaplains in the fire stations, building relationships and trust, over time, this will give our firefighters someone to turn to for advice, council, or help,” affirms Rochester Fire Department Chief Eric Kerska.
In 2022, Salt & Light Partners received a Rochester Area Foundation grant award that would assist in certifying three chaplains in Critical Incident Stress Management, providing psychological crisis intervention. This training opportunity strengthens the depth of knowledge for chaplains to broaden their service to our local law enforcement community. “Awarding financial support through a RAF grant, to a newer, more unique and specialized nonprofit organization like Salt & Light Partners allows them to build capacity and expand their reach,” states Carrie Moscho, RAF Community Impact Officer.
Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson agrees with his law enforcement leadership peers, “Salt & Light Partners are a new partner in the Sheriff’s Office in 2022. They have assisted with difficult tasks like family death notifications, and proven to be great support for our deputies already. We look forward to a long and cooperative relationship.”
Succinctly stated by one of the Salt & Light Partner chaplains, “The work is hard, but good.”
