Redwood City, CA
1-800-348-8911

PSTC-911CARES received this e-mail today. We are helping to pass the word quickly. PLEASE pass this on to fellow dispatchers and public safety lists (police, fire, ems, dispatch) It would be wonderful to get some help to this family. ALSO, read the notes at the bottom of the e-mail and ways you can help. Thanks - 911CARES

original e-mail:

The reason I am writing to you at this time is to ask for you assistance.  On May 16,2003 we lost a dear friend and a fellow dispatcher.  She was on her way to work when her vehicle was struck by a drunk driver.  She died instantly.  I'd like to tell you a little bit about our friend.  She has been with our department approx three years, she was a single mother with two children, a boy and a girl ages 11 and 6.  Her name is Tracey Hall and she lived her life for her children and her job. When Tracey answered the phone you never knew whether she had a barking dog complaint or a disturbance in progress, her voice never wavered and her dispostion with the caller never changed.  Tracey was always calm and professional regardless of what type of call she was taking.  Our department has lost a special person and our city has lost a valuable public safety professional.

What we are hoping you can help us with is a contact organization should any of our dispatchers need to talk or feel that they need crisis intervention.  We have a wonderful chaplain but dispatchers know how other dispatchers feel and you showed us that during your class.

Tracey's family has asked our department to assist them in compiling a photo memory board (Tracey will be cremated) and we very much would like to have a short poem or something similar to frame next to her department photo. We would like it to have something that people can read from beginning to end and help them understand what Tracey did day in and day out.  We are a misunderstood and sometimes underestimated profession, we are hoping to bring more respect and a deeper understanding to a part of Tracey's life that has been tragically cut short.  Her services will be on May 21,2003 and we would be grateful if you would get back to us as soon as possible.

We are also trying to think of ways we can help her family and her small children who have lost the mother they love. Please let us know if there are any memorial funds or any other organizations that we may contact to attempt to assist her family financially.

We will greatly appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide us with.

Thank you in advance for your quick response,

Donna Bates and Michelle Claussen
Portage Police Dept.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

The Portage Police will soon have a fund for the Children but they are obviously stunned by their loss and concentrating on the upcoming memorial and supporting the family. The have asked 911CARES to help. We want to get financial support heading in their direction. Make checks payable to the

TRACEY HALL MEMORIAL FUND
c/o PSTC 911 CARES
PO Box 5508 -
Redwood City, CA 94063

PSTC will match dollar for dollar up to $500 so get your checks in quickly please. Send cards and letters to us and we will make sure they get to the family and Tracey's fellow dispatchers. If you woiuld like to send flowers or other items, send them to:

Portage Police Department
2693 Irving Street
Portage, Indiana  46368

If you wish to send an email sentiment, send them here and we will forward them on to Portage for you.

A separate Internet web site where you may leave memorials for Tracey exists here.

If you have any ideas on other groups that might help Tracey's family, please let us know.
We all know there are many police and fire funds but we truly don't know anything that may help a dispatcher.

911CARES will send flowers to the memorial and a plant to the dispatch center. We have already notified our instructors and have mobilized complimentary de-briefing and defusing assistance. For more details, we will have the entire story of Tracey, her family and how you can help posted on the www.911cares.com web site by late Monday.

Thanks to all of you! Hug your kids a bit tighter today, it's always so grounding to realize how short life sometimes is. Our wishes and prayers are with the Hall family and the Portage Police Department.

Kevin and the entire family at PSTC and 911 CARES
www.911cares.com
650-591-7911

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