Local emergency response agencies have been receiving Challenge Coins over the past several weeks from HyVee District Store Director Derek Sparks. A volunteer for Pella Community Ambulance, Sparks wanted to recognize all emergency responders in Marion County despite the cancellation of the annual September 11th event where they join together. He says that these challenge coins are a way to honor the work that these men and women put in.

“We came up with a challenge coin that recognizes the police, sheriff, EMS, fire and dispatchers, and I could personally deliver these to all the stations in the county. The reason for that is some are having meetings, some aren’t, due to COVID, things are different. I got to actually attend some of the meetings, and I got to drop it off to the chief for them to distribute however they would like. I made it clear that it’s a token of appreciation. It’s not about HyVee, it’s about the job in general, and we’re able to recognize them in this way, and there’s a ton of people behind this that feel the same way.”

Sparks has been working to deliver these challenge coins to every department in Marion County, and plans to be wrapping up this week. Hear an interview with Sparks on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville.