Shields of Strength Throws a Power Punch of Public Support for Police, Firefighters at The Arnold Classic Guns & Hoses Faceoff
COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A Texas-based Christian jewelry company, Shields of Strength https://www.shieldsofstrength.com, just ripped the gloves off to dominate the arena with a fierce show of public support for police and firefighters at the Arnold Classic Guns & Hoses title boxing competition Thursday.
Shields of Strength teamed with an Atlanta-based nonprofit, Point 27- Strength for the Fight https://point27.org, to sponsor this year's Guns & Hoses event at the Hollywood Casino.
There proved no neutral corners in the ring, as U.S. Army (Ret.) Col. David Dodd, director of Point 27, presented Columbus police union head Jason Pappas 2,000 Thin Blue Line Shields of Strength, and firefighters union head Dave Montgomery 1,600 Thin Red Line Shields of Strength – dog tag necklaces inscribed with scripture -- for the responders in their departments.
Dodd also presented Pappas Folded Flag Necklaces with scripture for the family members of the two Columbus Police Department officers killed in 2016.
From the ring, Dodd thanked the Columbus police and firefighters and all police and firefighters "for their leadership, courage and perseverance in the face of great adversity."
In a recent interview, Pappas described the gifts, the givers and the public show of support as "remarkable."
"One of the hardest things is to bury a fellow officer. For Shields of Strength and Point 27 to show this kind of remarkable support, we are very grateful," Pappas said. "Last year was an incredibly tough year all across the country. We lost many more officers than in years before. Any time we get shows of support like this, it means more than you can know. If we have a bad day or a close call, it means so much to think that the citizens you serve haven't forgotten about you, continue to support you and have your back."
Kenny Vaughan, who founded Shields of Strength in the late '90s, said his company designed the custom Thin Blue Line Shields of Strength in 2015. "We could have never imagined the attacks on police across the nation that would come in the months that have followed."
For their Law Enforcement Appreciation promotion in January, Shields of Strength and Point 27 promised to give two Thin Blue Line Shields of Strength for every piece of jewelry purchased that month. The Columbus, Ohio gifts, Dodd said, fulfill that promise and more.
For more information, contact Marcia Davis, 972-834-5898, [email protected].
SOURCE Shields of Strength
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