U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) will present the Spirit of Idaho Award to Forrest Andersen of Murtaugh at Stricker Elementary School in Kimberly at 8:45 AM on Thursday, August 25. 

Andersen raised $15,000 to outfit Magic Valley school resource officers (SRO) with new rifle-rated body armor.

“I applaud Forrest for seeing a need in his community and taking the initiative to fill that need,” Crapo said.  “He embodies the Spirit of Idaho with his selfless and enterprising example.”

Prior to Andersen’s endeavor, SROs had rifle-rated body armor, but it was too heavy to wear throughout the school day.  New, modern body armor is thinner and weighs little more than 1lb.  As the school year kicks off, SROs throughout the Magic Valley will be better protected as they perform their primary duty--protecting our children and teachers.

“The Magic Valley is very fortunate to have community-minded individuals such as Mr. Andersen,” Kimberly School District Superintendent Luke Schroder said.   “Kimberly School District is very grateful for his generosity."

“What a wonderful community we live and work in, where citizens and law enforcement work together to meet the needs and solve the issues that arise in our community,” Kimberly Police Chief Jeff Perry said.

The Spirit of Idaho Award was created by Crapo in 2000 to honor the acts of service by Idahoans for their commitment to improving their community and serving their fellow citizens.  Crapo has presented more than 600 Spirit of Idaho Awards since the award’s inception.

Original source can be found here.