TONIGHT: First responders will be honored at the rivalry game

Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press

First responders will get the VIP treatment at the Lehi vs. Skyridge football game on Sept. 26. First responders will be recognized during the game. Police and fire vehicles will be on display before the game, and community police and firefighters will have an opportunity to mingle with gamegoers.

Maren Westover, an organizer of the annual event, said several first responders from different cities and departments who are family members of cheer, drill and football student-athletes are brought to the field and honored individually during the game. Honorees and their families will also be treated to a pre-game dinner, receive a gift basket and receive free entry to the game. Additionally, all first responders in the stands will be asked to stand for recognition.

“We have great respect for the first responders in our community. We know how much they work and sacrifice, and we want to make sure they are shined in a positive light, especially those who have connections to our high schools and whose family and children attend there,” Westover said.

Mike Stevens, a firefighter from Lehi, is one of the first responders honored at the game. His son Crew is a sophomore on the Skyridge soccer team and his daughter Quincee is a senior at the school.

“It's truly an honor to be recognized in this game, but I see it as the entire team's effort and not just my own,” he said. “We do what we do to serve the community, and this kind of appreciation reminds us how important our work is to the people we serve.”

Westover said those who receive individual awards will be nominated by students who will be attending or performing at the game. Because Westover has a husband who served on the police force for eight years, he knows how hard the job is and how much the recognition will mean to them.

“Some of them don’t want the attention, but I think they deserve it. “The world has gotten crazier and the job is hard, and I think they just deserve to shine a little light on it,” she said.

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“Community support is incredibly important for first responders,” Stevens shared. “It strengthens the connection between us and the people we serve, and that mutual trust allows us to do our jobs more effectively.” Knowing that the community has our back gives us the motivation and resources to do so do what we do.”