A nation-wide law enforcement advocacy group called Bridge the Blue (BTB), founded in 2017 by Army veteran and former police officer Troy Skeen, is gaining national recognition and local support by our own Kearney Chamber of Commerce.

On Saturday, July 18th, at 1:00pm Central Time, thousands of citizens across the nation will rally in front of their local City Halls to show support for police and sheriff departments.

*Chamber Executive Director Stacie Bratcher*

LawEnforcementToday.com explains BTB’s mission: “The purpose is simple: To show love and support for our police. That’s it. There’s no intent to further the divide between law enforcement and members of the community. On the contrary. This rally is to bridge that gap.”

While there are no current plans for a rally in Kearney on July 18, the Kearney Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors in their July meeting, resolved to do something each month to demonstrate greater appreciation and community support for the Kearney Police Department. This month, Executive Director Stacie Bratcher personally delivered a care package of treats to the police department.

“At the Chamber, one of our main pillars of purpose is to be a good community partner,” said Bratcher. “We wanted to extend that to the Kearney Police Department today. It felt like it was a really good time to be able to say thank you to them for all they do to support the businesses in the Kearney community.”

Treats were donated by Dan Lechner of Farmers Insurance in Kearney and CVS Pharmacy in Kearney. If your business would like to contribute to the Chamber of Commerce monthly police appreciation initiative, contact Stacie Bratcher at 816-628-4229.

More information about the Bridge the Blue organization can be found at bridgetheblue.com

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this report