Barbecue for a good cause
Bonne Terre church holds fundraiser for BackStoppers
By CHRIS CLINE
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Daily Journal Staff Writer
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The men’s club grilled about 325 pork steaks for the fundraiser and also had hot dogs and sandwiches with all of the fixings.
“A member of our men’s club named Bob Worsham instigated this,” said St. Matthew Lutheran Church Men’s Club President Arnold Hadler. “Bob was a captain with the St. Louis Police Department. He brought it to our attention that we should do something to help support our local BackStoppers. Last year we had a chili dinner to raise money and this year we decided to do a barbecue.”
Hadler said he was expecting about 250 people at the barbecue.
“It’s a way for us to outreach outside of the church,” he said. “We have about 13 members of our group here working. Several of the wives are also here.”
He said about 15 hours of preparation went into Saturday’s barbecue.
“It’s definitely a worthy cause,” he said. “I am amazed how people don’t know what the BackStoppers organization is. Last year we raised $1,100 for them. This year we hope to do better than that.”
Bonne Terre Police Chief Doug Calvert said the Bonne Terre church has been a great supporter of BackStoppers.
“I can’t say enough, how much we appreciate them doing this,” Calvert said. “As a police officer, your first goal is to stay alive and go home at the end of your shift. Knowing that may not always be possible, it’s a big relief knowing you have an organization like BackStoppers behind you that will see to it that your family is taken care of. Hopefully, BackStoppers is something you will never have to use, but it’s nice to have. You can’t buy an insurance policy like BackStoppers. We are very fortunate to have it in St. Francois County.”
The organization, which serves select counties in Missouri and Illinois, provides help to families of firefighters and police officers who are killed in the line of duty.
When a police officer or firefighter in a member county is killed, BackStoppers assumes all the family's financial obligations, as funding permits, for vehicle payments, credit card debt, loan debt, taxes, insurance, etc. BackStoppers provides $2,000 in educational assistance each year for each child in public school, elementary through high school. Assistance for children in private schools is $4,000.
They provide college and vocational school tuition assistance to spouses and children and health and dental insurance for the family, if needed. BackStoppers also provides catastrophic injury compensation for paramedics and EMTs.
Seven years ago on Monday, St. Francois County Deputy Steve “Chachi” Ziegler was on duty and was fatally injured when a trailer came loose from a vehicle in front of him and struck his patrol car. Ziegler died the next day.
Hours after Ziegler died, BackStoppers gave his wife, Racheal Ziegler, a check for $3,000 to use for whatever was needed. The organization then returned and asked for every bill the family had. Every Christmas since, a BackStoppers representative has stopped by to give her a check and a box of chocolates. Their children, 8-year-old Madison and 6-year-old Cole, and Steve's other two children, Loren and Eric, receive a U.S. savings bond each Christmas and birthday until they turn 21.
Ziegler’s death is the first and only time thus far the St. Francois County BackStoppers organization has had to come to the aide of a fallen police officer’s or firefighter’s family.
The Washington County BackStoppers organization came to the aide of the family of Washington County Deputy Michael Triplett, who died when he wrecked his police cruiser on his way to a call on Nov. 29, 2007.
The Washington County BackStoppers organization will have a poker run at 10 a.m. on Oct. 11 at the Potosi VFW Post 6996. The cost is $10 for the first hand and $5 for each additional hand. Chili will also be available to each rider. Gift certificates for Donelson Cycle will be awarded to the top three hands.
Chris Cline is a reporter for the Daily Journal. Contact him at 573-431-2010, ext. 114 or at ccline@dailyjournalonline.com.
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