SHAKOPEE -- In just six months, Carol Castle's idea has spread far and wide, across the Twin Cities and beyond.
After her son, a firefighter, died of suicide, Castle created coins that carry the number of a crisis hotline for first responders. More than 2,000 coins have already been distributed, and police, fire and EMS agencies in Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin either have or will start carrying them soon.
"It's meant to be a lifeline in every first responders' pocket," Castle said. "It's spreading. The news is spreading."
Now it has spread to Shakopee.
Local business owner Michele Starbeck first learned about the coins after Carol Castle came into her store. They got to talking and learned they had a lot in common: Starbeck lost someone close to her to suicide, and she also has first responders in her family.
"It really got to me," Starbeck said.
So she helped organize a fundraiser Thursday night to provide the coins for Shakopee Police, Shakopee Fire and other local agencies. After getting Turtle's Bar and Grill, the Chamber of Commerce and the brewhall on board, they invited guests to pay $20 for food and drinks — covering the cost of two coins for each first responder. The goal is to provide 107 for Shakopee Police and Fire before hopefully raising more for the Scott County Sheriff's Office, EMS and corrections officers.
"I don't think we appreciate our emergency services like we should," Starbeck said. "They're really lacking in the help that they need."
The issue of suicide among first responders has become more urgent in 2019 with nearly 200 officers taking their own lives so far, according to a non-profit that tracks law enforcement suicides. In the Twin Cities last week, two officers from two different metro police departments took their own lives just hours apart.
Hennepin County Sheriff David Hutchinson attended one of those officers' funerals just a few days ago.
"It takes a toll on all of us," Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson's office has recently rolled out a wellness program, added free chaplains to staff and continues to pursue other ways to improve resources for employee mental health. Other departments in the Twin Cities have added similar programs — including Plymouth, which requires officers to meet with a mental health practitioner annually.
"I want my deputies to know that if they're struggling, come get help from us," Hutchinson said. "We're gonna protect you as much as we can."
Hutchinson also called for more financial resources from the state and further research on the topic of first responder suicide.
Meanwhile, in Shakopee, Carol Castle and Michele Starbeck hope their coins will make a difference to prevent any further grief.
"You see what it does every day to the officer that rides in the car every day, and what they have to go through," Starbeck said. "It puts a hole earthquake around the world of that person and everybody they know."