Community honors local heroes

The celebration has already begun, and gratitude is being spread throughout the community.

It all culminates Sept. 12, when the community is invited to express its appreciation to our local heroes — emergency first responders.

Code: Honor, organized by volunteers from Mountain View Community Church in Culpeper, will be held at Eastern View High School and the adjacent sports complex. Organizers expect 5,000 people to attend.

First responders — including police, firefighters and other emergency personnel from the counties of Culpeper, Orange, Madison, Rappahannock and southern Fauquier — will be honored.

Mountain View is spearheading this event; however, many area churches and businesses are involved as well. Jayne Charlton, member of Mountain View and program director, sums up the idea behind Code: Honor by saying, “We want to give something back to the people who have our backs every day.”

Charlton and other members of the planning committee have met with town leaders to decide how to honor these everyday heroes.

At 3 p.m. Sept. 12, personnel from 50 stations will display and demonstrate their equipment. A recognition program will follow during a free, fully sponsored dinner.

Christ In Action, a nonprofit organization that dispatches people to work in disaster zones throughout the U.S., will be serving everyone just as they would if a disaster hit this area.

WPER (89.9), a Christian radio station in Warrenton, has event information on its Web site and will be on the grounds.

A drawing for locally sponsored gifts will be held during the latter part of the evening, and speakers are planned. Couples can watch the movie “Fireproof” in the gym at the close of the event.

Charlton points out that beyond what these heroes sacrifice in the line of duty is their time with family and spouses. She calls Code: Honor “an opportunity to refocus for at least one evening on their marriage and their families.”

Activities for children will be provided in the auditorium, and youth activities will be located in other areas of EVHS.

Mark Jenkins, pastor at Mountain View, didn’t realize the need for an event like this when they started planning it, but he says the need is clearly greater and greater every day.

“The sheer excitement of what the event will be is absolutely amazing,” he said, “and it hasn’t even happened yet.”

Jenkins adds that sponsorships and donations “have been incredible. Pepsi Co. has donated 28,000 pounds of soft drinks. We want people to know this is not an event for the community but rather, by the community for our local heroes.”

More than 50 gift baskets are currently being distributed to fire, police and rescue departments in the five local counties. The baskets are filled with very specific candy, noted in a poem written to honor first responders after the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001.

Of particular interest to police chiefs is the wall of honor or “Tribute Wall.” People can log onto codehonor.org and write something to a particular rescue worker or rescuers in general.

Ultimately, the plan is to erect a wall of granite, or similar composition, at the new Culpeper police station where these words, and future dedications, can be etched.

Jenkins says there is no rain date and that everyone is praying for good weather. However, permission has been given to use the public school cafeterias, if needed, to prepare and cook food in case of inclement weather.

According to spokesperson Jojuan White, “This event will be like none we have had in this area before.”

Butch Mills almost lost his life in a collapsed trench, in Culpeper, close to two years ago.

Hoping to attend the event as a display of his appreciation, Mills said, “One of the reasons I am here today is because of the professionalism, training and availability of dedicated caregivers, willing to put their lives at risk to rescue me from a collapsed trench.”

Amy Wagner covers church news for the Star Exponent. Have a story idea? E-mail her at

Want to Go?
What: Code: Honor, a free event honoring local first responders
When: Sept. 12 at 3 p.m.
Where: Eastern View High School and adjacent sports complex
Interested? For more information or to help with the event, call 727-7987 or visit codehonor.org