Planned gift card drive to thank first responders

As the weather turns colder and the holiday season approaches, thoughts turn to giving thanks and showing appreciation.
For one Perry County resident, those thoughts are colored by memories of the time he nearly lost his wife one foggy morning on a lonely stretch of county road.
“This time of year is always emotional for me,” said Clint Gray. “My wife was nearly killed when she was going to work early one morning on Hwy. E.”
According to Gray, his wife, Erithel, was headed to work at Perry County Memorial Hospital when her car left the road and overturned.
“The car was completely flipped over,” Gray said. “Gasoline was pouring out with the engine running and my wife was trapped upside down in her car with the seatbelt. The door was crushed so it wouldn’t open.”
Gray firmly believes that if it hadn’t been for the efforts of Perry County first responders, particularly the sheriff’s deputies who were first on the scene, she might not have survived.
“The officers never hesitated to break the glass and get her out of that car,” Gray said. “Had the responders not shut the car off cut the seat belt busted the glass and pulled her out, maybe I would not have her today.”
Even though the car was totaled in the accident, Gray said he bought it back from the junkyard for $500 and still keeps it in his garage as a reminder.
“Nobody realizes why I kept it,” Gray said. “It’s to remember us how fragile life can be and how quickly it can be taken from us.”
Since that time, Gray has felt he owed a debt to the first responders who saved his wife. This year, he decided to do something about it, something that would not only show how appreciative he is but that would also give others in the community the opportunity to show their own appreciation.
To that end, Gray is heading up a Christmas fundraiser of sorts with the intention of making the holidays a bit easier for first responders.

“I’m grateful and always will be,” Gray said. “That’s why we want to do this Christmas fundraiser for these great men and women.”
Rather than collect money, Gray is encouraging businesses and individuals to purchase gift cards from local restaurants which will then be distributed to first responders, making it easier for them to purchase meals when on duty.
“I thought that if we started kind of a fund for them to have a great holiday, that would turn into something big,” Gray said. “I believe there’d be quite a few people that would like to get involved in something like that.”
Gray kicked off the drive with $500 worth of Subway gift cards, and said many of the businesses he’s contacted have already agreed to chip in.
“It doesn’t have to be a company, it can be individuals,” Gray said.
Gray based his idea on a conversation with a county deputy.
“I spoke to one officer at him in the gas station and said, what kind of things do you guys need or use?’” Gray said. “He told me he remembered one year — it had been years ago — someone bought them five dollar gift cards for Subway and that was enough for a meal and a drink. Things like that are great.”
Anyone who would like to contribute gift cards to Perry County responders may drop them off during regular business hours — 8 a.m.-5 p.m. — at the Republic-Monitor office, located at 10 W. Ste. Marie Street in downtown Perryville through Dec. 13. Gray will then collect the donated cards and deliver them to first responders.
“This is a community that’s pretty giving. We live in a great community, so I think there’ll be plenty of people that would like to do this if they have the opportunity,” Gray said. “They’re the ones that protect us and take care of us when we have a problem or issue. These folks put their lives on the line on a daily basis.
“This is something we can do for them.”