'We need prayers so desperately': Reflection garden to support first responders unveiled

In honor of the difficult work first responders perform each day, community leaders have erected a spot in the heart of the city to recognize their bravery and provide much needed support.

Leadership Jackson's "Team Tigers" along with the Madison County Sheriff's Office and the City of Jackson unveiled the newest addition to the J Alexander Leech Criminal Justice Complex — a reflection garden.

To strengthen the bridge between law enforcement and the community, the designated reflection area, located adjacent to the justice complex, has a bench and a mailbox where community members can leave notes, cards, or letters for first responders.

Leadership Jackson, an organization that builds leadership skills for West Tennessee community leaders, facilitated the collaborative project from beginning to completion.

Madison County Sheriff Julian Wiser shared the importance of uplifting and supporting first responders, noting that the average life expectancy of the American police officer is 58 years old.

"There's a lot of contributing factors with that, but they deal with a lot of trauma and stress, so as law enforcement leaders in the community, we've got to do a better job at taking care of our first responders," Wiser said. "So we're very appreciative of the reflection box and coordinating with the community and getting them involved and the hard work that you all put into it."

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The fruition of the reflection area was made possible through donations by the City of Jackson and Home Depot.

In defining the inspiration for the reflection area, MCSO Community Outreach Leader Tom Mapes recalled the story of a woman who would visit the justice complex daily during the spring and summer of 2023. She would kneel on the grass against the edge of the brick wall and pray from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. every day.

The woman was the mother of an incarcerated individual at the jail, and in the absence of permitted visitation, she would get as close as she could from the outside to pray for her son inside.

"I got a feeling that maybe somebody from Leadership Jackson might have seen that scene or her praying and said 'Wouldn't it be great if we had a prayer bench and a prayer box here at the jail?'" Mapes said.

"It's just a beautiful addition. I know Sheriff Wiser and our command staff is just thrilled to have it because it's such a part of the community, so the community can come in and pray for law enforcement. Who ever heard of such a thing? We need prayers so desperately and now it's happening."

Explaining the bench as "a gateway for the community and law enforcement," Leadership Jackson alumni and Team Tigers member Jonathan Parker shared that through his time as a deputy, he understands firsthand the stress that first responders endure on and off the job.

"With them having a spot here on their campus to just exhale, is really a great thing," Parker said.

U.S. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tennessee, 8th District was a guest speaker at the ribbon cutting, noting the nationwide issue of recruitment and retention in law enforcement.

"People don't want to go into law enforcement like they did a number of years ago for a number of reasons and that's tough," Kustoff said. "With this project today, with all the evil in the world, I hope that you all can come here and find a little peace and a little solace."

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: 'Reflection garden' to support first responders unveiled in Jackson