SAO Pays it Forward, Hosts Wounded Warrior Project Families for Holidays

Adam Bagby’s daughters couldn’t wait to take a peek inside the “Merry Christmas” bag filled with toys and goodies.

The young girls’ eager attempts to grab a closer look at what the CR-G (felony) team had gifted them for the Wounded Warrior Project holiday event drew some laughs. It was a memorable scene in an afternoon filled with many as the State Attorney’s Office hosted a dozen Wounded Warrior Project families for a party to present gifts to the veterans and their families.

In the weeks leading up to the event, each family was adopted by a part of the office and members of the community who collectively purchased items of interest for the warrior and their family. The baskets and bags of gifts were then presented one by one during the event.

“I didn’t know what to expect, but I didn’t expect all this,” said Mike Trimble, an Army veteran who was there with his wife, daughter, and two sons. The family was adopted by an anonymous donor in the office.

This year’s party was the first time families participated, which gave it a “more special feeling,” said Tim Wall, an Army veteran adopted by the Youth Offender Programs and Adult Diversion Division.

It isn’t the first time the office has participated in such a show of support. For seven years, Investigator J.J. Thurne has worked with Wounded Warrior Project and organized the event.

Thurne, an avid farmer outside of the office, likens his effort to help others to planting seeds — the more that are planted, the more possibilities there are to grow. His only request is that others who benefit pay it forward.

He credits this year’s successful program to the office’s employees — not himself — and is appreciative for the continued support for the organization.

“All I have to do is plant a seed,” he said.