Letter to the Editor: Praise for Home Depot Associates Helping Injured Smyrna Police Officer

Editor's Note: Smyrna Public Safety Foundation Chairman Mike Watson shared this letter thanking The Home Depot team for the help they offered to injured Smyrna Police Officer Cpl. Gene Crawford. . 

TO:    Frank Blake, Chairman & CEO, The Home Depot

Frank,

It is my genuine pleasure to recognize four Team Depot volunteers from the Vinings store who have made an incredible difference in the life of a disabled Smyrna Police Officer. This story began on May 9th when a driver hit SPD Corporal Gene Crawford who was on his police motorcycle on South Cobb Drive. The driver fled but was later captured. Meanwhile, the 53-year-old police officer sustained two broken ankles, a broken leg and a broken hip. Following surgery and a lengthy hospital stay, Corporal Crawford was released to return home to face a lengthy period of disability.

Corporal Crawford’s fellow officers at SPD approached the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation to seek assistance in making modifications to his residence to facilitate his movement about the house as well as such modifications as an enlarged shower door and other changes to make the home more wheelchair friendly. The SPSF has only been in existence three years and has provided funds for several beneficial resources to Smyrna public safety as well as benevolent funds for another injured police officer in 2011. We then approached the Home Depot Foundation seeking a grant of $10,000 to make the requested modifications – and were approved.

Shawn Groebner, Assistant Store Manager at the Vinings store was designated as the Project Leader and his primary Team Depot members were Jim Huggins, Darrell Goolsby, and Patrick Owen. These incredible Home Depot Associates have tirelessly given of their time over the past two weeks so that Corporal Crawford’s convalescent time will be convenient and more productive. They have gone above and beyond the scope of the original project parameters and have also performed work on Corporal Crawford’s yard and other portions of his residence that needed attention.

The project is expected to complete on Friday, July 20th and Home Depot has a great deal to be proud of in these four Associates. I hope you will find a meaningful manner in which to recognize them and on behalf of the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation and the entire Smyrna Community, I extend to them – and to Home Depot - our deepest gratitude for outstanding service to our community and an injured police officer.

With deepest gratitude,

Mike

Mike Watson

Chairman

Smyrna Public Safety Foundation

P.O. Box 2216

Smyrna, Georgia 30081

www.smyrnapsf.org

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