Sam Simon: To Honor Those Who Served and Help Those Left Behind

One of the granite panels at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, in Washington, D.C. Corporal Matthew Edwards served in the Taylor, Mich., department, where Atlas Oil, our first Simon Group Holdings Company, is headquartered.

This week, while many were enjoying spring and thinking about the end of the school year and summer vacation, thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C., for National Police Week. Participants include the survivors of fallen officers – the wives, husbands, children, parents, siblings, friends and colleagues – of those who were killed in the line of duty. They came for healing and to remind us of the sacrifices they continue to make because of the tragic loss of their loved ones.

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial sponsored a Candlelight Vigil.

It’s become too common to hear of the senseless deaths of police officers, men and women who selflessly go to work, and on the streets, every day to protect us. We cannot become numb to the fact that lives are being lost. Every officer who dies leaves a family behind, a family that is sadly forever changed. I want to live in a country where we respect and help each other. We must, as grateful Americans, recognize the sacrifice these fallen officers have made. We must, as human beings, pray for and help the survivors.

Through the work Simon Group Holdings and I do to support police, in communities where we live and work, I learned about an organization that helps survivors. Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization, is led by survivors with the mission to help those left behind cope with their loss. There are more than 50 chapters and nearly 40,000 members. They offer countless programs, resources, and even a summer camp for children who lost their parents. And, concurrent with National Police Week, they host a conference for survivors.

Please join me and Simon Group Holdings in honoring those who have died protecting us. Please shower the survivors with prayers for their strength and healing, and if you have the means, become a donor, we did.