Jon Beckloff has created something larger than himself, and it began when his stepbrother was injured in the line of duty. The injuries were not life-threatening but could have been avoided with the use of proper protective gear. As a reserve officer, the cost of the equipment was on the officer and he couldn’t afford the cost of first class items.
Beckloff supplied the needed equipment immediately with an online purchase, but it led him to wonder how many other officers, EMTs and firefighters were working with substandard or outdated gear. Through that line of questioning in 2009, Project Tribute Foundation sprang to life with the goal to create a way for citizens to provide support to the first responders.
That support came to Watonga and Blaine County first responders Friday afternoon. Beckloff delivered enough bleeding prevention kits for the Watonga Police Department, the Blaine County Sheriff's Office, emergency medical responders and multiple fire departments. These kits include a tourniquet, compressed gauze gloves, trauma shears, a warming blanket and a permanent marker.
Beckloff said that the group really wants to get these kits in the hands of law enforcement and others because there is always the question whether to use a tourniquet on an injured party or reserve it for the officer themselves in case of need. Replacements for used tourniquets are not automatic in most departments and if the officer must pay for them out of his or her own pocket, the costs can mount up quickly.
Watonga officer Rick Garcia filled out the request form. He said it took about 15 minutes and before long the executive director – that’s Beckloff – was setting up a delivery appointment.
The request form can be found on the website at projecttribute.com. In addition to requests, citizens can donate and purchase merchandise. They can also get a code to use if they go to the suppliers of the bleed prevention kits to make a purchase of their own. That code offers some savings and also a small rebate to the Project Tribute Foundation.
However, the foundation is miles apart from some other, more famous responder support groups. Everyone involved is a volunteer. They don’t get paid. Not a dime. Nada, zip, zilch, zero. Every dollar donated goes toward the purchase of equipment.
It is a toss-up on what is the most important to Beckloff, supporting the responders or transparency. The foundation has attacked transparency in multiple ways. Financial statements are posted on the website. Donations fund the equipment that is provided to those on the front line. No organization or department is given money, ever. The foundation will pay for training or buy equipment.
Shirt sales pay for business expenses like office supplies, telephones and internet, and processing fees.
There is a volunteer coordinator, and a board of directors. Many of those board members are first responders themselves, or former military, or both. They don’t get paid, either.
When a department makes an equipment request, it is handled individually, not melded with all the other asks. That way, when the funds have been raised for a specific project, it is closed out after the equipment has been supplied. The foundation finds that the most efficient way to handle things.
There are nine completed requests on the website and multiple others pending, ranging in price from $329 to $50,000. The foundation accepts requests from all first responders and departments and from anywhere in the United States.
There are other ways to help outside of donating or purchasing a shirt. Sharing the news and projects on social media is a big part of growing the foundation, Beckloff writes, and helps connect them with potential donors.
For more information, log on to projecttribute.com or email projecttributefoundation@gmail.com As a side note of local interest, Jon Beckloff is the grandson of Ruth and Leroy Lage and Flo and John Rickey. He lives in Bartlesville, where the foundation is headquartered.