At BlueWatch Foundation … what do we REALLY do?
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably read the mission statement. But that doesn’t really tell you how we put those goals into action. How do we support and educate? What constiutes “encouragement” to an officer? How do we engage the officers and they community in which they serve?
Our mission focuses on four key strategies that we believe gives any officer the best chance to be successful in their career, while maintaining a positive relationship with their family and their community. In pursuit of overall wellness, we believe that spiritual wellness and a meaningful relationship with God is critical to the success of the strategies we employ and to the officers that we serve. Our strategic goals include:
Workshops & Seminars
Multiple events are held each year with a focus on leadership, emotional well-being and physical wellness. These events are led by local and nationally recognized experts in the fields. Much of the training qualifies for continuing education credits with APOST.
Mentoring
Officers are given the opportunity to meet regularly with a mentor for improvement of leadership skills, career development, or advice on personal and family issues. This strategy pairs officers one-on-one with coaches, retired officers or current, more experienced officers who can serve as mentors.
Professional Services
We arrange for professional help from therapists, psychologists and chaplains to assist those officers needing more specialized attention on emotional, spiritual or family-related issues such as anxiety, depression, marital crisis, parenting, substance abuse, and guilt.
Service Opportunities
We believe that personal wholeness cannot be achieved without including service as a mode of life. Oficers often deal on with the negative aspects of a community and seldom have opportunities to engage others in a more positive way. We strive to change that by coordinating events involving community members on a local level and engaging with other agencies nationally and around the world.
Meet Our Team
Burke Swearingen, Executive Director
Support Team:
Manuel Zarate – Director of Leadership Development
Meagan Phillips – Director of Business Operations
Board of Directors:
Keith Phillips, The Ōnin Group
Alan Parker
David Agee, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
Venita Wesley, Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church
Carol Dodgen, Dodgen Security Consulting