The Front Line Foundation Creates Beyond the Call of Duty Fund to Support White Bear Lake Police Officer Ryan Sheak

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (January 30, 2023) – The Front Line Foundation (TFLF) announced today that it has created a Beyond the Call of Duty Fund to support White Bear Lake Police Officer Ryan Sheak who was shot multiple times while on duty on January 24. Sheak, a board member of The Front Line Foundation remains in Intensive Care.

"Having a member of our Board seriously hurt while on duty hits too close to home," said Suzanne Holt, President, and CEO of TFLF. "We are stepping up the way we know our colleague Ryan would for any law enforcement officer injured in the call of duty."

While TFLF answers the call when any of Minnesota's first responders need support, helping someone like Officer Sheak, who has been so integral to the Foundation's mission is something new to the organization.

"Ryan was protecting his community when he was shot multiple times. Ryan and his family are close personal friends to my wife and I," said Brent Rohlik, Chair of TFLF Board. "We want to support Ryan and his family any way we can through this trying time. He is a kind and caring person and needs our support."

Since its inception in late 2018, The Front Line Foundation has supported Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, EMTs and members of the National Guard across Minnesota, to grant financial support to families of first responders who have died in the line of duty. The Foundation's mission is to bridge the gap between the death and benefits being paid, which can help families with ongoing expenses. The Foundation also provides support in the purchase of tactical equipment for first responders which is not included in department budgets. To date The Frontline Foundation has paid out $328,000 in death benefits and equipment funding since it was founded in 2018.

While all situations where a first responder is injured or killed in the line of duty are of utmost importance to TFLF, the fact that Officer Sheak is so entrenched in the way the Foundation gives back makes this call to action extremely important.

"You just never now when one of Minnesota's 60,000 first responders will be in need of support," said Holt. "What happened to our friend and colleague further emphasizes the need to look out for and support all of those men and women who work tirelessly to protect us."

To donate, go to https://donorbox.org/the-front-line-foundation and write "Ryan Sheak" in the comments when making your donation.

About The Front Line Foundation:

The Front Line Foundation began as an attempt to help and support our Fallen Heroes, including Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, EMTs, and the Minnesota National Guard. The Frontline Foundation provides support to those who died while in the line of duty, by giving benefit payments to dependents of fallen first responders. Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, and EMT First Responders face armed and dangerous criminals, impaired individuals wielding weapons, even emotionally charged, and threatening domestic disputes. They are The Front Line Defenders of our neighborhoods, towns, and cities who face and diffuse the high-risk, frequently appalling situations we know or hear about, with disbelief, on the news. In addition to providing endowments and support for the families of fallen heroes, The Front Line Foundation will underwrite scholarships and training registration costs for Front Line personnel as well as support preparedness training for safety officers in hospitals, schools, and places of worship. Further, we assist with the purchase of needed safety and tactical equipment not currently within the budget of the local unit of government. For more information, please visit http://www.thefrontlinemn.org