Worthy Cause

On Thursday, November 16^th 2017 at 2:00 AM, the Toledo Police executed a search warrant on the residence of a piece of human garbage, Jamaine Hill.  When he heard the SWAT team outside, Hill shot through the door and managed to hit Detective Jason Picking in the face.  Detective Picking is in the hospital in critical but stable condition, and is scheduled for a long list of surgeries to repair as much of the damage as possible.

When she heard about the shooting, Danielle Dressel, officer Keith Dressel's widow, went to the hospital to give aid and comfort to Jason's wife Kristen and their family.  Having been through this experience before, Danielle knew what the family would need by way of support.

Here is a message written by Danielle, and reprinted here without permission:

Asking for help for Detective Jason Picking, his wife Kristen and their 4 children. What happened to them is completely tragic and devastating. Thank God he will eventually recover, but it’s going to be a very long and painful process. He is out of state at a hospital undergoing the difficult surgeries that his injuries require. That means lots of traveling and time away from home and family. If you would like to help ease their difficulties, you can do so one of three ways.

1. Give a donation at the Toledo Police federal credit union. There is an account set up for the Picking family.

2. Send me a gift card from gas stations, to help with traveling or restaurants so they don’t have to worry about meals. Suggested restaurants; Panera Bread, Starbucks, subway, pizza places, jimmy johns, and Tropical Smoothie. (Jason won’t be able to eat solid foods for a long time!) Gift cards to Amazon are a suggestion as well so Kristen can do Christmas shopping from the hospital. And

3. Simply send a card or note. Trust me when I say, those small gestures are so uplifting, appreciated and needed!

You can mail notes and gift cards to me at:

Danielle Dressel, C/O, The Toledo Police Academy, 30439 Tracy Rd., Walbridge OH. 43465.

One last thing please, say a prayer for Jason and Kristen. Thank you everyone for taking the time to read this.

You can read about the story at these links, courtesy of WTOL:

Detective's wife comforted by widow whose husband was shot, killed in line of duty

TPD officer shot in west Toledo, in 'critical but stable' condition

I'm not a strong supporter of charities. I give financial support to my Church, the Salvation Army, and to a no-kill animal shelter.  I think this is a worthy cause.

Detective Jason Picking is facing an uphill struggle.  He has a wife and four kids, and being shot is going to leave him incapacitated for a long while.  Worse, some of the damage will be permanent.  If you can spare a sawbuck or two, please send it to the family via Danielle.  If not, take a few minutes and send a get well card with a few words of encouragement.  Your generosity and consideration will make a big difference to the Picking family.

Most importantly, if you're religious please pray for them.  Thank you.