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INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts are proud to announce Officers Alicia Ahnert and Tracy Saxhaug, Fishers, Ind. Residents, as 2014 honorees of the Colts Anthem Angels program, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Officers Ahnert and Saxhaug will be recognized at the Colts home game this Sunday, November 23, 2014, for their outstanding contributions to the community.
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This holiday season will certainly be brighter for a number of families in Fishers, Indiana due to the efforts of Officers Ahnert and Saxhaug of the Fishers Police Department. Embracing both the spirit of service and holiday cheer, Officers Ahnert and Saxhaug have spent much of this year preparing for their 3rd annual "Cops and Kids" holiday event, a program they created to reach out to families in need of financial assistance over the Christmas holiday.
Together with fellow police officers, local schools, and the Good Samaritan group, the pair identifies children to participate each year. On the day of the "Cops and Kids" event the children meet a group of officers at a local shopping center with their wish lists in hand and ready for a day of holiday shopping. The children are each assigned a personal officer to assist them with spending the $225 the program provides for them. Together the pair spends $100 on necessities, $100 on wish list items, and $25 on a gift for the child's parent/guardian. At the end of the event, the officers also send each family home with a laundry basket of food and other necessities.
From conducting in-home interviews with the families to ensuring there is a need to be met and organizing fundraising events throughout the year, the officers have demonstrated a commitment to making the event hugely successful. "Over the past two years," their nominator reports, "the program has served 34 children from 14 different families by raising over $10,000 in private donations." This upcoming "Cops and Kids" event is on track to offer assistance to a record number of families in their community.
Aside from this program, these officers are assigned to the School Resource Unit of the Fishers Police Department; they assist school counselors, teachers, and administrators, teach DARE in the schools, and are cited as role models for the community's young people.
For exemplifying the everyday hero and displaying the spirit of the holiday season we congratulate our Anthem Angels, Officers Alicia Ahnert and Tracy Saxhaug.
"Anthem Angels…Honoring Everyday Heroes" was established by the Indianapolis Colts and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to pay tribute to Hoosier "First Respondents" who may have received little or no recognition for the strides they have made to help others in human-service related professions.
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In honor of Officers Ahnert and Saxhaug's heroism, they will receive four (4) VIP Club Seat Tickets to Sunday's Colts game, a feature story with their photo in the Colts gameday magazine (the Scout) and on www.colts.com, as well as on-field recognition at the game.
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Nominations are currently being accepted for upcoming 2014 home games. For more information about Anthem Angels, presented by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, please visit: www.colts.com/anthemangels.
For more information, media may contact Stephanie Cassel, Colts Community Relations, at 317-808-5143.
