April 2026 - He is Risen!
As we celebrate this Easter Sunday, we are so thankful for Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and his glorious resurrection that give us a hope that surpasses all understanding.
May you and yours be blessed this Easter Season!
Heart for Heroes Gala
Wow! The gala was a great success! Thank you to everyone who attended, gave generously, and supported this mission! We were thrilled to have a sold out crowd once again and to host an evening to honor our first responders while also sharing the mission of Salt & Light Partners.
We are especially grateful to our sponsors and donors who made the event possible!
Mark your calendars now for March 12th, 2027, and join us for this annual celebration. Tickets will go on sale December 1st, 2026!
Top: Executive Director (ED) George Beech with the Salt & Light Chaplains. Bottom: A few of RPD's finest, the live auction in full swing with Christian Kolberg, and an impromptu dance to Uptown Funk (IYKYK)! (More photos on our website.)
Bowling Anyone?
You will often hear us say - a fundamental aspect of first responder wellness is that the family is healthy. To that end, our FROGs program seeks to support family-oriented events like these two bowling nights that happened recently. We had a great turnout for both of these events and wonderful feedback that it was a blast!
The picture on the left is from a Rochester Fire Department (RFD) bowling night, and the picture on the right is from a Rochester Police Department (RPD) bowling night.
Out and About!
Top: Salt & Light Chaplains Shari Cape and Larry Orth welcomed new Olmsted County Adult Detention Center Deputies to the team.
Bottom left: Winona Police Chief Tom Williams and Deputy Chief Jay Rasmussen hosted Chaplain Daniel Olson and ED George Beech to hand-crafted pizzas at Rocco's. Bottom right: RPD Chaplains Shari Cape and Adam Molina, pictured here with School Resource Officer Teagan Hauke during National School Resource Officer (SRO) appreciation day.
Funding the Work
While we are fortunate to raise almost half of our budget at the Gala each year, we still have a significant gap to fill throughout the year.
To meet that need we apply for private grants throughout the year. In February, we were very fortunate to receive a large grant from the Hanson Family Foundation. The Hanson Family are affiliated with MBT bank and we were pleased to work with Holly Gronholz to secure this funding. Holly is a business banker at MBT, is the spouse of RPD Captain Paul Gronholz, and leads our RPD FROGs program.
Bottom photo is the MBT team with ED George Beech and Development Director Christine Beech.
By the Numbers
In 2025, our chaplains spent 3819 hours with our first responders and responded to 272 critical incidents throughout the year. That is over 5 traumatic events EACH WEEK all year!
As a result, 272 families in SE MN benefitted from our chaplains showing up to support them during the worst day of their lives, and continuing to walk beside them in the days following.
It also means that our chaplains were there to support the first responders who showed up at these scenes and ensure they were able to process and navigate what they experienced as well.
This is the core of what we do - even if there are no photos to acknowledge that part of the work.
Acting Regional Director for ICPC
Salt & Light is proud to be a member of the International Conference of Police Chaplains (ICPC), a leading organization in the field of chaplaincy that provides a standardized certification process for our chaplains.
When we started Salt & Light in 2021, our Executive Director George Beech became a member and went through the certification process. He then also became a certified instructor for the organization, and this year was asked to be the Assistant Regional Director for Region 3, an area that covers all of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota.
Recently, George was asked to step in as the Acting Director for Region 3 while Director Kevin Norton takes a sabbatical. It is an honor to fill this position and speaks to the close relationship that Salt & Light has developed with ICPC over these last 5 years.
New - A Golf Scramble
Where are my golfers? We are trying something new this year! We are hosting a scramble (best ball) golf tournament at Willow Creek in September. By then your golf game will be at it's peak after a summer of golfing and you will be happy to have an excuse to come out before the season is over! We guarantee this will be a fun opportunity to come out and enjoy a day of golf with our first responders and support a great cause.
So, with all this notice, register now and put it on your calendar so it is done! Do you know a business that might like to support our first responders and be a sponsor? Share this with them! There are sponsorship opportunities that range from $250 to $5000, so there is something for everyone!
Thank you for your continued support of this ministry.
Please always reach out with any questions or requests you might have.
With gratitude,
The Salt & Light Team