09/18/2015
A message from PAARR:
I wanted to thank all of you that have connected with us to get "On PAARR" and to help in this most important mission to support our police and our civil society. We have just started, and I feel blessed with this initial response. But I know that, with your help, there is so much more to do. We need to get this ribbon out there as a beacon to all police that we support them at every step. Whether they see a vehicle or home display our ribbon, it should give them solace that they are not alone.
I also wanted to share a bit more about how I got here to inspire you all to help move this along to a proper prominence.
I am, like most of you, a very typical citizen who feels blessed to be an American. Who was raised by two strong parents, and was able to gain a great education that allowed me to work with my wife to support our household and raise two children that are now working to pursue their dreams in this great country. I was moved when the Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were murdered in New York, simply because they wore a blue uniform that signified their service to our country. It was especially troubling to see that many of their fellow officers felt so unsupported that they were compelled to turn their backs during the services. My vision was that as they turned around, they would find a country that was fully aware and respectful of the important job they do to allow all of us to be our best, in a country that demands a civil society to insure opportunities for all.
The pink ribbon that has become such a universal symbol of our society's fight to find a cancer cure inspired me to create PAARR: the Police Awareness and Respect Ribbon. A symbol that could be embraced by all good citizens and displayed on their cars or homes to show the police that they have our support. So my mission is to flood our country with this symbol and to show the police that we are here for them, as they do the most important job of maintaining our civil society.
As with most of us, I got busy with my own life and questioned whether my idea would really make a difference. With the horrific shooting of Deputy Darren H. Goforth in Texas, I was again moved to go beyond my comfort zone and pursue this mission. Our country and citizens are too great to not support our police, and I hope the PAARR symbol can be an appropriate method for our country to get 'On PAARR' and display this ribbon.
How awesome would it be for our police to be surrounded by this symbol that shows our awareness and respect for the important service they provide to all of us each and every day?
The five dollar fee for the ribbons should be affordable to all and two dollars on each sale that will go back to your local police forces. Each of these departments have their own community outreach program and we want them to use our donations as they see fit to best serve their community. We ask that each donation include your local zip code so that we can direct those funds to that department. We want to keep it simple so that this effort can grow as it should. Each of us should feel we can make a difference, and I hope if you make the effort to display this symbol, you will certainly cross paths with a police officer and he will know he is appreciated. We are a country of laws with justice for all, and they serve to keep our society civil.
-PAARR
