Please join us in wishing Blue Watch a happy birthday! One year ago this month, Blue Watch was founded. We became official February 22, 2019. This is when all legal documents were filed to make Blue Watch a non-profit organization. It has been an incredible year! The Lord has provided for every need, plus some.
Because of the generosity of many, we have been able to provide training that can change the lives of officers and their families. A special word of thanks goes to everyone who has donated of their time and money to help carry out the mission of ministering to the law enforcement community.
If you would like to learn more about what we do and how you can get involved, visit bluewatchfoundation.org/donate. There you can make a donation or complete an online form expressing interest to volunteer your time.
Our First Leadership Workshop is February 27
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to join us for our first ever leadership workshop, “Transformational Communication…the power of words to motivate and increase productivity.”
This one-half day workshop, hosted by the Vestavia Hills Police Department, will be held Thursday, February 27, at 8:30 a.m. Productivity and results in the new culture of law enforcement requires more than rank and demand for obedience. It requires the ability to inspire, motivate and empower. In this three-hour workshop, attendants will learn from instruction, peer interaction and real-life application to departmental situations. This session will be co-led by John Gaskins and Dr. Manuel Zarate.
John is a professional trainer in leadership development with over 25 years of experience. Certified in multiple leadership theories, he has trained thousands on multiple continents, from one-on-one coaching sessions with individual performers to large groups of executives. John is a graduate of The University of Alabama and a former Army Reservist.
Manuel is director of Leadership Development with the Blue Watch Foundation. He holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership, master’s degrees in philosophy and theology, and a B.A. in Communications amongst other degrees. His passion is to help leaders succeed professionally, personally and spiritually. This passion has taken him to 41 nations where he has served political, military, police, business, entertainment and church leaders both via speaking and teaching but also through personal coaching. Dr. Zarate is also a chaplain with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.
The response to this event has been outstanding, and only a few slots remain. Go to bluewatchfoundation.org/upcoming-events to register today!
Registration Opens March 1 For Our Spring Conference
Join us for our spring conference Thursday, April 23, 2020, from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Bessemer Civic Center. Jim Bontrager, a veteran law enforcement instructor, communicator and U.S. Marine will present Sun Tzu and the Office Resiliency Mindset “Psychological Resiliency Principles for Modern Day Policing.”
Sun Tzu was a Chinese general and tactician born in 544 B.C. A brilliant strategist, he authored the epic war tome, The Art of War, required reading for the CIA, U.S. Military Intelligence and the Marine Corps Reading Program. Sun Tzu specialized in tactics that equipped an inferior force to defeat a superior one. Employing such principles as using deception, carefully accommodating yourself to your enemy’s purposes, exploiting your enemy’s disposition, baiting his forces to conquer them through ambush and ideally breaking their resistance without fighting was the primary goal. This training will examine how these same tactics are used to destroy law enforcement officer’s psychological well-being. We will identify the deceptions employed against officers, the ways evil accommodates itself to the profession, the baits offered to lure officers and the sobering reality of success in getting them to quit without a fight. This course will share “rubber meet the road” strategies that will armor up warriors psychologically, fortifying them against defeat!
Registration opens March 1. To register, go to bluewatchfoundation.org. You will receive 7 hours of APOST training for this event.
Support Our Mission
Please prayerfully consider making Blue Watch part of your annual giving. To do all we hope in 2020 will require greater community support. If this is something you feel led to support, you can give two ways:
Visit our website and click the “Donate” button.
Make a check payable to Blue Watch and mail to 2620 Swiss Lane, Birmingham, AL 35226
If you are unable to donate monetarily, please consider helping with our guests travel expenses by donating your sky miles or hotel points.
The mission of Blue Watch is to help officers and their families experience the relevance and benefits of God in their lives.