SHIELD 616

My agency had recently lost a LEO to rifle fire. Our body armor at the time was not suitable to today's threats. The agency did not have the funds at the time to outfit us all with the armor we needed. Shield 616 stepped in and outfitted nearly half of us with the needed armor. With so much of the financial burden covered, the agency was able to afford outfitting the rest of us. I have no doubt, thanks to Shield 616, future lives have been saved. I cannot thank them enough for their generous gift.

To say Shield 616 is a great organization is an understatement! Their dedication to their mission is unmatched! It's hard sending our police officers out to their shifts, but with the help of Shield 616, it makes it easier knowing they are protected and supported in their role! Thank you, Shield 616 and all the volunteers, for all you do!

Whoa, where to even begin. The team behind Shield616 is full of heart, dedication, and hospitality. I run a Chamber of Commerce along the front range and Jake came to speak to us, and other Chambers, about getting involved in fundraising for our local departments and county. My heart is strongly aligned as is but when a video about my friend Dillon Vakoff played in our meeting room, my eyes filled with tears remembering the man he was and the loss of a beautiful soul. I was immediately pulled to take action and get involved in his memory and in the memory of other lost loved ones in military and emergency services. I volunteered this year on the Colorado Ride and was forever impacted. I made lifelong friends and will cherish the impact made along the hundreds of miles journeyed with the riders and Shield616 team.

Sending my love, hugs, and resources always to this team and the men and women they serve.
-Katey McNeil

My husband and I have been involved with Shield 616 for two years. Our experience with them has been great. They are a very conscientious organization and well organized. On multiple occasions when we were wearing Shield 616 apparel, police officers have expressed their gratitude for the high quality shields provided for them. We have formed great friendships with other bicycle riders and staff. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in a super cause.

I donate to shield 616 because my family and friends are police officers . I also go to show support to the officers to show them that everyone doesn't hate police officers.

Phenomenal non profit in the community. I love how they love to protect our protectors! They stand by there mission whole heartedly and they make sure to involve the community. I will forever be a supporter of this organization! I am very blessed to be able to provide this organization with a grant on behalf of Homes For Heroes and Home Loans By Shane Powered By Edge Home Finance.

2024 Tour de Shield Idaho volunteer and I LOVED it. I cannot express enough how powerful and moving the bike rides are as well as the reason they ride. I have the pleasure of being their massage therapist through the 4 day trip and I am overly blessed that i had the opportunity to work with such amazing people. I can’t wait to do this again next year.

We are proud supporters of Shield 616 as we want to provide support to our officers to keep them safe as they put their lives on the line to protect and serve us.

I've volunteered with this amazing group for a few years now. Their mission, compassion, dedication is unmatched. I can't say enough about how incredible this group of people is! I can't wait to see what they do in 2024!

I volunteered my time to the 2023 Idaho border to border bicycle ride and was amazed by the stories I heard. The mission statement from this team is unlike anything else. I cannot wait to do it again in 2024.

I participated in Shield 616 Ride For The Blue Concert and motorcycle run fundraiser In 2021.The ride was coordinated well and included officer escorts at the intersections, allowing our group to stay safe and travel together. After the ride, I attended a great concert and witnessed presentation of armor to The Colorado Springs Police motorcycle officers.I was so moved by this experience, I rode again in 2022 and 2023! I am honored to be a part of such an important service to our first responders and look forward to the next event that brings awareness to such anincredible mission.

The East Helena Police Department is a small police department in Montana. We were introduced to Shield 616 by one of our officers and from the first contact with Jake and his team, we have been thoroughly impressed by their profound commitment and dedication to protecting those who protect others. Shield 616 is full of very caring and passionate people who truly care about the lives of law enforcement professionals and our experience with Shield 616 was absolutely outstanding. Shield 616 paired us with Lifepoint Church and the partnership resulted in our whole police department receiving rifle rated ballistic vests. The vest presentation was such a rewarding and emotional ceremony, and we can't thank Jake, Mary, Marcy, and the rest of the Shield 616 team enough for their dedication and generosity to law enforcement.

I met Jake several years ago, right after the beginning of Shield616. I was instantly drawn to the concept of what the goals and ideas were. For the first couple years we sponsored the group by donations and feeding the crowd and teams that represent the cause. However once you go on a Border to Border Ride, you meet the riders and the other volunteers, you are hooked! I don't ride, but I do try to give back with what I can. It is both amazing and humbling what these men and women do to raise money to support the delivery of improved tactical gear for our first responders. Gear that does change lives!
On a personal note, the friendships I have made are the most rewarding and to know were all are working on a cause to save lives is the most rewarding you can imagine! I am blessed to be involved and to know all the members of SHIELD616!

I happen to run across Shield 616 while watching television.(the station was fundraising for them.) I felt so compelled to become a part of those who support them.I now have Shield 616 in my will and a CD with them as beneficiary.
If in anyway you know, or have been affected by the love and kindness of our first responders, and I highly recommend you support Shield, 616! They are doing so much to keep our first responder safe!!

An amazing mission that my agency has benefited from greatly. The staff at Shield 616 is second to none. They all work incredibly hard to the point where you know they believe wholeheartedly in what they are doing.

Shield 616 is an AMAZING organization supporting first responders across our great country.

I have had the privilege of being a recipient of a donation in the past and also have attended numerous fundraising events in the Pikes Peak Region helping to raise money so other first responders can have access to the equipment that is donated.

I have met some amazing people who work with Shield 616 and who have donated to them as well. I have made some life long friends through Shield 616. Thank you for all you do!������������

Shield 616 is an awesome non-profit! I have volunteered for 4 years and I love their mission so much!

As a local Colorado Springs real estate agent, I’ve worked with several first-responders over the years and it has become clear to me how imperative they are to our community. I was introduced to SHIELD616 through a great friend and Douglas County Detective. After learning about SHIELD616 and their unparalleled work to keep our law enforcement and firefighters safe, I’ve started a program that includes donations to SHIELD616 in the name of all first-responder clients. Proud to be a supporter of an organization who provide safety for the men and women who serve and protect.

Until recently, I was naive to the issues or the true lack of protection that our local officers deal with. After being invited to an event with Shield 616, I was able to ask a number of questions about the day to day, as well as further research what is provided to those on the front lines everyday. As a disabled veteran and a military spouse, I understand the value of the body armor that is provided by Shield 616 for our local law enforcement. They are helping to educate the general public, like myself, who wasn't aware of the full scope of their everyday dangers. I look forward to being able to continue supporting this organization and all they do for our community first responders.

Amazing organization that places officer safety as a priority. I am grateful for what you do to keep all first responders safe.
Thank you
JAE SANDERS

Shield 616 .is a non profit with a mission. "To save the lives of law enforcement officers nation wide"! .Founded by a retired officer who has first handed experience of facing an active shooter when his fellow officer was fatally wounded, RIP. He prayed for guidance and made a commitment , if he survived, to provide life saving equipment to as many officers as possible nation wide. He and his wonderful volunteers are fulfilling that promise. Teller County Officers are no strangers to this program, having twice been recipients of shields for their safety. Numerous officers lives have been saved by this equipment, that is not provided by their department, but through fundraising and the tireless work of the "Shield 616" organization. Thank you to your dedicated Shield 616 staff and may you also be protected by "The Armor of God" Eph. 6:13-17

I’m a police officer in Colorado. The men and woman at shield 616, have been so helpful towards law enforcement. They have the best products on the market, and are superior in customer service. It has been a great honor to work with them, and I wish them the best for all they do in our community. Many Blessings towards Shield 616, and all the hard work they have done.

I am a volunteer with Shield616 and to say that this organization has changed my life, would be an understatement!
It is part of our family now. The Mission is SO important and to see and hear from the first responders that have received protective gear from Shield616 is almost overwhelming- they are so thankful! and, so am I.
My husband and I always make time to support any and all Shield616 fundraising events- its THAT good!

I am both a donor and a volunteer for this incredible nonprofit. I cannot say enough good things about Jake and his team. They are passionate about protecting first responders. Their mission includes connecting first responders with supportive people in their own community. SHIELD 616 is a blessing to first responders and their families. They are making a difference one person at a time.

I was honored to be a rider in the inaugural Border to Border ride across Idaho this summer, and also to donate to this wonderful organization. They do fantastic work in protecting law enforcement officers and are a class act in everything they do. The professionalism, care, and generosity they have throughout their organization makes them an organization that I have no qualms about working with.

I am one of the Shield616 Team bike riders who ride bikes across Colorado. We do this to raise money to provide the Shield616 protective gear to our first responders all over the state of Colorado. I am also a donor, who speaks frequently with our first responder who received gear at a recent presentation. I can not emphasize enough what this gear means to these men and women and their families. Knowing not only that their are people in their community that care enough about them to give so graciously to provide them with the gear they need to be protect, but also that those same people don't want to just be donors but family. I have seen first hand the positive impact this non-profit has had both locally and across the United States. I know many of the Shield616 staff both personally and professionally and could not recommend a more skilled and worthy non-profit to give to and work with! Keep up the great work team! Looking forward to supporting and working with you all for years to come!

Shield 616 provided me with a rifle rated vest and helmet along with other supplies for an active shooter situation. As a Law Enforcement Officer, this vest was a huge relief and I prayed I would never need it. They have since provided me with an upgraded vest that I now wear along with my regular soft armor. This allows me to have the rifle plates in whenever I’m on duty instead of a separate plate I put over my uniform.

Having such generosity shown to me, I looked for a way to pay it forward. I began to volunteer with Shield 616 and fell even more in love with this amazing organization. They are a family and all of the volunteers and staff members have become like a family to me. This faith based organization is incredible and the peace of mind I have daily because of their generosity along with the generosity of donors has really blessed me.

Brandon
LEO

I first became of Shield 616 when I saw a fellow bike rider's activity on Strava as he was doing the Border to Border ride across Colorado. One of the riders sometimes does a group ride I do and that's how I got involved with Shield 616. Everyone knows their mission if you've read these comments at all. It's a great, Christian group and I felt very welcome. When vests are presented there's a Biblical message that gets presented by the founder Jake. It's great to see the first responders and the appreciation they show when they get the new equipment that can save their lives. I have ridden in 2 Border to Border rides (2020 north to south and 2021 west to east). My favorite moments are the camaraderie all the riders & volunteers have and seeing/meeting first responders who appreciate what we are doing. I think around 90% of money donated goes to buy the equipment for first responders and that the group is expanding out to other areas besides Colorado so there are travel costs involved. I believe there are only 3 paid employees and many great volunteers so that helps keep a very high percentage of the donations going to providing gear for the first responders.

SHIELD616 has done some amazing work for first responders. I was able to assist with some of their recent events and I have never seen a team work so tirelessly for their cause. I have donated towards this organization because there is a direct impact in local communities and isn't just a drop in the bucket. You can see the faces of the officers they are assisting. I would highly recommend others donate to SHIELD616.

Amazing non-profit with tangible results!

It’s so gratifying to see results from fundraising efforts almost immediately. They make a difference to this country’s first responders and their families and friends. It’s been a privilege to be both a donor and a participate in fundraising events.

There are thousands of non-profits that do great things for their communities. But Shield 616 is the best of the best. They operate with the utmost integrity and are driven by a keen sense of purpose - protecting our protectors!

Biblica partners with Shield 616 in making the Blue Line Bibles available to share. I work for Biblica and personally, it is a JOY to work with those in Shield 616 and see their resilience in caring for the bodies and souls of the women and men who have committed to balance loving people and keeping our communities safe. These are hard time, all the way around, and I pray continually for God to bring healing, protection, wisdom in changes and for continued strength that comes from God himself... for each of you.

In 2018 we (Cardenas Ministries) began our relationship with Shield 616. We were attracted to the premise of their mission. We’d contacted Shield 616 to purchase a large quantity of their Bibles. We host law enforcement appreciation events locally, and wanted to distribute those Bibles along with prayers to the officers we were honoring that year. Since then, with our shared hearts for giving to first responders, our working relationship with Shield 616 has grown – so that we now serve in partnership to support each other’s missions. We cannot adequately express our gratitude to this outstanding organization, whose staff continuously proves to be of the utmost professionalism and integrity – while enthusiastically carrying out their worthwhile purpose. Thanks to the generosity and support of Shield 616, our ministry is able to carryout our own mission. Essentially, Shield 616 provides shields for officers’ physical protection (at no cost!), and their Bibles have allowed us to provide a spiritual shield for them as well. If anyone is considering a donation to this organization, we whole-heartedly recommend that they do so.

I volunteer for this organization as a rider for the Border to Border Ride. I have spent lots of time volunteering for several organizations. Shield 616 is by far the most organized and well run organizations I have ever worked with.

Shield616 is an amazing organization. They were able to outfit our entire department with rifle rated gear. As a small department of only 60 sworn Officers, there is no way we would have been able to afford that life-saving gear. The most amazing thing about Shield616 is that they also partner you with the actual donor, solidifying the partnerships between Officers and the community in which we serve.

As a police officer who has been the recipient of Shield616's life saving gear I am beyond thankful for the care and foresight that Jake and his team have for first responders. I would love to see Shield616 touching lives in all 50 states!

Aside from the tangible equipment Shield616 encourages donors to invest in the lives of the first responders that they sponsor. In this upside down world that it feels we're living in that might be even more valuable.

Shield616 gives me the confidence to do my job in the most dangerous of situations and gives my wife some peace of mind that i'll make it home at the end of the day.

Thank you Shield616!

We decided that our stimulus checks from the federal government could best be utilized by a nonprofit. I am a retired firefighter and wished to find a nonprofit that would use our donation to assist first-responders in our area during sparse economic times. SHIELD616 was a perfect match for my wish. SHIELD616 represented that they provide personal protective equipment to local police, sheriffs, and fire department personnel. They received a request from the Monument Police Department for personal protective gear and readily paired it with our donation. They kept us informed throughout the purchase of requested equipment, and recently invited us to the presentation ceremony. We are very excited about attending to view the end result of our donation. I have never worked with a nonprofit whose volunteers maintained communication in such a friendly, professional, and appreciative manner, from donation to fruition. They are truly great volunteers who care about the community and continue to expand the scope of their operation.

These guys have done so much for me! They really care for not only the first responders but also for the families. Not only have they helped me but now I volunteer for them!

We have been a supplier for Shield 616 for many years. Jake, his family, staff and volunteers are more like family. We love it when he stops by, as we know we are in for a good laugh. He takes his role very seriously though, and we appreciate what he not only does for our Public Servants in our community, but around the nation.

I have volunteered with Shield 616 for many events from Denver to Steamboat Springs. This is a great non-profit organization as it teams up the local community with the Police and first responders to make a personal connection. Seeing and meeting the people who are putting their lives on the line and knowing that you made a difference for them to be able to go home and loving family and friends makes it all worth it. Keep doing a great job.

As a law enforcement officer that was graced with these donations and nonprofit organization, I cannot express how grateful I am. Truly an incredible organization and to say that Shield616 is making a huge difference is an understatement. Keep doing great things!!

We are so honored to be a supporter of Shield616. There has never been a time where this organization was more needed. First, they provide law enforcement and firefighters with much needed equipment/gear that allows them to conduct their jobs in a way that keeps them safe. Secondly, they partner families and communities members with the first responders that they sponsor. This connection provides support and prayer backing that is so desperately needed. We can’t say enough how highly we think of this organization and their leadership.

In this crazy time our Country needs more organizations like SHIELD616 that foster relationships between First Responders and the communities they serve. We have been first hand witnesses to the good that comes from local communities coming together to donate Protective Gear to their First Responders and letting them know that they are supported. If you are looking for a safe place to Donate your charitable giving you can NOT go wrong with SHIELD616

I have been to a number of Shield 616 vest presentations and have always come away with the feeling of optimism and thankfulness that there is an organization that is there to help protect the protectors. Shield 616 has a way of bringing 1st responders and the community together for a purpose that is truly inspiring. We need more organizations like Shield 616!

The shield 616 crew are great people and really care for the people that care for you. Not only are they providing officers and firefighters with great equipment, they set up a personal connection with your donor.

Shield616 fills a tangible need for law enforcement officers. I have seen them drive cross country bringing generators for officers working the Houston flood. I love that they connect the community to an individual officer allowing us to pray for him or her. They show up for communities and love law enforcement.

We LOVE the mission and vision of SHIELD616, we have contributed to 2 armor sets and have witnessed the connections and support between the public and Law Enforcement that their model promotes, as they spread across this country they will leave a lasting legacy not only of the physical protection for first responders but also growing and improving personal relationships with the communities they serve...

I’m one of the many officers that have benefited from this group. The life saving items they donate can’t have a value placed on them.