July 2026 -There is a new Chief in Town!
We are thrilled to welcome Chief Mike Hartman as the new police chief in Austin!
Chief Hartman has been with the department for 17 years and steps into the position as Chief Dave McKichan retires this month.
Welcome, Chief Hartman!
Pictured above: Chief Hartman with Executive Chaplain Cape and APD Chaplains Goetz, Wyse, and Mielke at the swearing-in ceremony on June 22nd.
Trained and Ready
Salt & Light participated in the family reunification efforts after the Stewartville High School shooting earlier this year, leveraging our training to be a source of comfort and support for the families.
That event highlighted the importance of training more of our chaplains alongside school leaders and first responder agencies to be ready when called.
In June, we had the opportunity to send eight of our chaplains to this in-depth school shooting response regional training at John Marshall High School. It is training like this that keeps us ready to respond.
Above: Executive Director (ED) Beech with Salt & Light Chaplains Johnson, Mannenbach, Munis, Cape, Langmade, Reimer and Smith.
FROGs are Hopping!
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 the pool party hosted by the Olmsted County Sheriff's Office FROGs (lower left) and the FROGs BBQ by the Winona Police FROGs (lower right). We had a great turnout for both of these events!
The picture above is from a gathering of the Rochester Police FROGs. The group purchased flowers and plants to beautify the front of the station. What a wonderful act of service. Thank you ladies!
Back to Nature!
Above: Southeast MN Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers Ryan, Houser, Christenson, Weber, and DNR Chaplain Kelli Smith helped kids fish at the annual event, Badges and Bobbers. Lots of fish were caught, and even more fun was had! After the event, kids won prizes for the biggest and smallest catch and then enjoyed a box lunch together.
Below: Rochester, MN Fire Dept families Schnier, Schafer, and Chandler attended the Protectors' Peak Firefighter/EMT Marriage Retreat from June 14-18 in the beautiful woods of North Idaho. S&L loves partnering with Protectors' Peak to care for the emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual wellness of our first responders.
Funding the Work
Recently, ED Beech and MCAS Chaplain Mannenbach shared the work of Salt & Light with the Zumbro Valley Nurses Association (ZMNA). Their members were so moved by our work supporting first responders that they decided to donate proceeds from their annual garage sale to Salt & Light. Thank you ZMNA!
Bottom photo is the staff from the ZMNA team presenting a check to ED George Beech and Development Director Christine Beech.
By the Numbers
So far this year, from 1 January to 30 June, our chaplains spent 2111 hours with our first responders and responded to 134 critical incidents. That is over 5 traumatic events EACH WEEK so far this year!
As a result, 134 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.
WOW!
Our Heroes Hustle netted the largest turnout ever for a nonprofit 5k at TerraLoco! We had Root Beer floats, police cars, a fire truck, prizes, and big cheering section that made it a very fun event. Thank you to all our supporters who came, donated, moved, and then went to Sorrelina's for dinner. We could not do this without you!
The Heroes 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 $1500, 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