Ron Donahue named Joplin Police Department Officer of the Month

(From the Joplin Police Department)

Please join us in congratulating Officer Ron Donahue as he was recognized as the Officer of the Month for August 2024. His award was based on the following nomination:

On 08/02/2024, Officer Donahue reached out to Sgt Jones in reference to children with needs. Sgt Jones suggested he contact Laura Meador, a previous employee, that works for the Children's Center. Meador contacted Jones on 08/04/2024 to let her know the children had received needed items and that she was very impressed by how Officer Donahue went above and beyond to help. Below is an email Sgt Jones received from Meador.

 
"On Friday, August 2nd, Officer Donahue reached out to me and asked if I knew of any resources that would help provide beds for a couple kids that did not have any. He said the kids have been sleeping in recliners because that's the only place they had to sleep. I started looking into it and then Donahue told me he had learned that there were actually four kids in the home without beds. I continued to reach out to some people and had a list of businesses to contact on Monday that I thought might be able to help. 

"On Sunday, August 4th, I got a call from a friend saying he had two beds that he could drop off to the family that day. I called Officer Donahue to let him know. He said he was helping a friend fix his lawnmower but would be more than happy to meet the person dropping off the beds. Not too long after that, two twin beds and a full-sized bed were dropped off at the kids' residence. They now have real beds to sleep in which will allow them to sleep better and hopefully have a successful school year since they will be better rested in the mornings. 

"I wanted to pass along a compliment for Officer Donahue. He went out of his way and utilized the resources he had to help this family. It can be difficult for officers to respond to bad and/or violent calls and yet still have compassion for citizens. I am not sure of exactly how Donahue came across this family, but it says a lot about his character and heart that he was so willing to help them."

 
Officer Donahue, thank you for your compassion, hard work, and service to the citizens of Joplin.
Congratulations Officer Donahue!