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Culpepper Garden residents and local officials gathered indoors March 18 to thank Arlington’s first responders during the community’s fifth annual First Responders Day.
The celebration traditionally takes place beside Culpepper Garden’s well-known daffodil garden, but 30-degree weather forced the event into the lobby. Executive Director Marta Hill Gray brought a touch of spring indoors with her customary golden suit.
Carol Rivers added a thank-you message to a large poster board as police officers circulated through the room and shared stories with residents. ACPD Chief Andy Penn spoke with County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti and Colonel Burgess before Sheriff Jose Quiroz joined the gathering.
Gray said first responders answered 250 calls from Culpepper Garden in the previous year and regularly provided compassionate care to its residents.
“Whenever we see you arriving, we know we are in good hands,” she told the officers.
De Ferranti described the award-winning, low-income independent-living retirement community as part of Arlington’s history. He said a community can be judged by how it treats people at the beginning and end of life, as well as those living “in the shadows of life.”
He also acknowledged the county’s tight upcoming budget and the pressure created by competing priorities.
Turning to his own family, De Ferranti said his 2-year-old and 5-month-old could someday depend on first responders. He urged those attending to find a first responder and offer their thanks.