“Beyond the Call of Duty Recipients Show Bravery with Compassion”
The year 2025 has been a particularly difficult year in metro Atlanta for first responders. Several firefighters were injured battling life threatening blazes in Dekalb and Gwinnett counties, a Dekalb County officer was lost in the line of duty during a shooting attack on the Centers for Disease Control while the City of South Fulton lost an officer in a deadly head on collision with a motorist. “This is the reason I started the September 11th First Responders Appreciation Day in 2002,” says Audraine Jackson, founder of J&V Cares, Inc. “People will thank military veterans for their service but tend to take for granted those who answer the call daily when we dial 9-1-1. They are the heroes who put their lives on the line for us every day. We have an obligation to show our appreciation.” In 2023 Jackson successfully lobbied the State of Georgia to designate September 11th as First Responders Appreciation Day in the state Bill Signage. J&V Cares, Inc., the nonprofit she founded will honor first responders in the City of South Fulton for the third annual Beyond the Call of Duty awards held during the 24th Annual September 11th First Responders Appreciation Day, Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at 11:00am at the Emma Darnell Museum & Conference Center. Honorees include Captain Craig Harper who saved the life of an infant who was rushed to a fire station while the officer was present. Harper perform delicate CPR saving the infant’s life. Also being honored is Lieutenant Charles Cook along with Fulton County Corporal Zahir Muid who were both injured during a shoot out on Fulton Industrial. Special recognitions will be made to Major Aldranon English for serving over 30 years in law enforcement surviving a shoot out that killed his partner while serving a warrant and to the service of Captain Helio Garcia, an original member of the City of South Fulton police force lost in the line of duty.
The City of South Fulton codified the September 11th First Responders Appreciation Day last year as a yearly event committing funds to support and execute it annually. They are the first Georgia city on record to do so. Recipients to be honored during the 24th Annual September 11th First Responders Appreciation day include:
Lieutenant Craig Harper, City of South Fulton Police
Saved infant who had stopped breathing
Lieutenant Charles Cook, City of South Fulton Police
Survived deadly shoot out on Fulton Industrial
Corporal Zahir Muid, Fulton County Police
Survived deadly shoot out on Fulton Industrial
Major Aldranon English, City of South Fulton Police
30 year law enforcement career overcoming incredible odds
Captain Helio A. Garcia, City of South Fulton Police (special presentation to the Garcia family)
Lost his life in the line of duty
The September 11th First Responders Appreciation program not only shows gratitude, it is a recognition program that highlights heroic acts of first responders who go above and beyond the call of duty. In addition to praying for their safety and serving catered food, media interviews are arranged to tell their story on air and in print. This part of the program works to educate the community about dangers first responders face resulting in community appreciation, increased morale among rank and file and enhancing the first responder’s image among the general public. The following is the 2025 first responder appreciation event details for the City of South Fulton:
September 10, 2024, 11:00am, City of South Fulton Police & Fire – Emma Darnell Aviation Museum & Conference Center
WHO: J&V Cares, Inc.
WHAT: 24th Annual September 11th First Responders Appreciation Day
3rd Annual Beyond the Call of Duty Awards
WHEN: Wednesday, September 10, 2025, 11:00am
WHERE: Emma Darnell Aviation Museum & Conference Center
3900 Aviation Cir NW
Atlanta, GA 30336
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For more information or interview requests, contact Jackson Communications, Atlanta, GA at (404) 271-6240
About J&V Cares, Inc.
J&V Cares is a non-profit organization based in Atlanta, GA whose goal is to administer community-based programs designed to promote recognition of first responders and bring joy into the lives of the bereaved who experience the recent loss of a loved one. The organization is named for James and Victoria Jackson, a loving couple from Atlanta whose lives were committed to giving back to those less fortunate and often overlooked. An entrepreneur, James often hired vets returning from war who experienced PTSD and were unable to find steady employment. He also gave opportunities to recovering drug addicts who had trouble finding employment. Victoria was a stay at home mother who raised six children. As a community activist she marched and fought for civil and voting rights while working diligently to provide needed textbooks denied to a local school. She also supported young people newly entering the ministry providing food and small cash donations to ease their journey. The compassion this couple showed to others strengthen their community. Their daughter, Audraine Jackson founded J&V Cares, Inc. to administer two annual community programs, the 9-11 First Responders Appreciation program and the Flowers to Widows Valentine’s Day program in 2002. J&V Cares, Inc. tag line is “compassion is strength.” ([www.jvcares.org]JV Cares Inc.)
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