Students at Our Lady of Angels School in Cleveland’s West Park neighborhood enjoyed what has become an annual tradition as they welcomed first responders to the school on Oct. 3.
“These people aren’t forced to do these jobs,” said Kathy Stary, OLA principal. “They want to do it. They put their lives on the line every day. You can see God shining through them and their genuine love for people shows through with the students.”
Older students paired up with their younger “buddies” to visit first responders and interact with Scout, a Cleveland Police Department K9.
(See photo gallery above.)
Stary said OLA Parish hosted a Blue Mass for first responders for many years. Quite a few parishioners are first responders and former pastors the late Father John Cregan and the late Father Russell Lowe were chaplains for the Cleveland police and firefighters, respectively. She said OLA has honored first responders in various ways since the 1970s, sometimes including the event as part of its Catholic Schools Week observance by celebrating community helpers.
The school event began with students writing thank you notes to school crossing guards, police officers, firefighters and paramedics in the West Park area as well as to doctors, nurses and emergency department personnel at nearby Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital. School representatives would drop off the notes along with trays of cookies at the fire station, First District Police Station and the hospital. It evolved into a day of visits from the first responders. However, Stary said sometimes emergencies prevent some personnel from participating in the visit.
This year, CPD brought several vehicles, a robot from the bomb squad and K9 Scout to the school. They lined up in the back parking lot on the warm, sunny Friday morning as a steady stream of students visited and collected souvenir items. Among the most popular attractions were trying the intercom and siren on the police car, watching the bomb squad robot move via remote control and interacting with Scout. They also peered into the various vehicles, and some took advantage of a chance to pop their head through the opening in the roof of the SWAT vehicle.
“It’s important to care and pray for our first responders,” said Gabby, a sixth grader. “They show us God’s love in action when they help people.”
Police officers enjoyed the chance to interact with the students and expressed their gratitude for the support. They posed for group photos as a unit and with the students. Even Father Rob Ramser, OLA pastor, stopped by to offer his thanks to the first responders.