Those working to keep Jeffco Public Schools safe received a thank you gift Tuesday — a YETI mug with “Jeffco Hero” inscribed on it.

Local organization Jeffco Kids First collected over $8,000 in two weeks to create around 200 mugs for the district’s security-based employees. Then 60 volunteers, mostly parents in the district, handed the mugs out to every employee at schools and offices.

On Tuesday, four volunteers handed 60 mugs to the dispatch team at the district’s office in Lakewood.

“The word hero might get thrown around too much, so there’s no meaning behind it, but that is truly how the parents feel about these employees,” Lindsay Datko, executive director of Jeffco Kids First, said. “Whenever you stand in the line for a child, you’re a hero. When you run for their safety or try to help them with their difficulties, that’s heroic.”

The district’s school resource officers (SROs) have been brought to the forefront over the past few months.

In September, 16-year-old Desmond Holly entered Evergreen High School with a revolver and critically injured two students before taking his own life.

The full-time SRO at the school was on medical leave at the time of the shooting. Meanwhile, a deputy who assumed those policing duties on a part-time basis was working on a traffic crash nearby, police said.

“SROs are probably the most underappreciated role. They’re always under scrutiny,” Peggy Irvin, a Jeffco grandmother, said on Tuesday. “I just wanted to find a way to give back.”

“That unfortunate tragedy made us see how important these SROs are and how important our security system is,” Christy Johnson, a lifelong Jeffco resident, added. “It brought awareness that this is a really important job.”

In the week after the shooting, the district and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office announced a partnership to bolster the amount of SROs with 14 full-time SROs assigned to 12 Jeffco middle and high schools in unincorporated parts of the county chosen by the district, including Evergreen High School, as staffing allows, according to a September news release from the sheriff’s office. Before, there were 14 being stretched across 23 schools.

There are around 200 employees in all, including dispatchers and SROs from municipal police departments.

“We know that many communities across the nation are facing a shortage of law enforcement personnel and budget constraints, and we are not immune to these challenges,” Sheriff Reggie Marinelli said in September. “No doubt there is a need. We have been and continue to work together to strategically staff these critical positions. We will remain committed to hiring the very best deputies for our agency and our community.”

“We need more,” Datko said. “And they need to feel appreciated so more will come here.”

The mugs were a heartwarming way to do it.

“We don’t look for recognition, we look for the satisfaction of serving the community,” School Protection Officer (SPO) Michael Warren said, mug still in hand.

“It’s really nice, though, I’m not going to lie,” he laughed.

“It just shows that the community comes together during tough times,” SPO Tyler Lambert said.