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‘This is what Dad would do’

SOS, community show support to fallen officer’s family during Pay It Forward Friday

By Kelby Wingert 4 min read

Four years after the tragic and sudden death of the Rev. Al Henderson, the grief of those who loved him and knew him the most is still raw. But so is the desire to serve others and to make a positive impact on the community around them.

On Friday, members of the Fort Dodge community spent the entire day working to spread kindness and nurture Henderson's legacy of service to others with the fourth annual Pay It Forward Friday.

Promoted by Serving Our Servants, the organization founded by Henderson in 2014 dedicated to serving first responders, Pay It Forward Friday really belongs to the community as a whole, SOS President TJ Pingel said. Henderson, who was the lead pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church, was also the chaplain for local law enforcement and fire agencies.

In the afternoon, SOS and the Henderson family hosted an event at City Square Park where they invited the public for ice cream and hot cocoa, and to make cards to send to the family of fallen Algona Police Officer Kevin Cram.

Cram was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 13 and leaves behind a wife and three sons.

The Cram family's loss is something the Henderson family understands deeply, Kandi (Henderson) Lovin said.

"Our circumstances were different, but we still had a sudden loss, so it just feels appropriate to reach out to someone else too," she said. "It's not even just from us -- it's from Fort Dodge, too."

Lovin, who is the oldest daughter of Al and Kris Henderson, said she followed the aftermath of Cram's death where communities across northwest and north central Iowa came together to raise money to help the grieving family, and she knew that Pay It Forward Friday would be the perfect opportunity to garner more support for the Crams.

"This is what Dad would do," Lovin said. "This is what he would want. And he would have been involved in any way to support that in this community."

SOS also collected free will donations to be given to the Cram family. This is in addition to the more than $38,000 that Fort Dodge-area businesses pledged to donate from touchdowns scored at Fort Dodge Dodger and St. Edmond Gael football games.

In the morning, members of the Fort Dodge Police Department, Webster County Sheriff's Office and Fort Dodge Fire Department handed out gift cards at local stores. Representatives from the Safe Communities Coalition of Fort Dodge and Webster County also passed out gift cards.

Legacy Realty paid for drinks for customers at local coffee shops. Calisesi Chiropractic Clinic provided treats and coffee to its patients for the day. Staff from the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services took sweet treats, games and art supplies to the residents at the YWCA of Fort Dodge. Citizens Community Credit Union gave gift cards to its members.

And countless other organizations, businesses and individuals also honored Pastor Al's legacy in their own ways.

"People look forward to this day," Pingel said. "There's businesses and people who may not have even known Al and they found out about today and they've gone out and started doing it just to spread kindness in Fort Dodge. Especially after this year that we've had and all the work these guys and gals have had to do, it's kind of nice seeing [the community] give back."

Seeing how Pay It Forward Friday has grown each year is touching, Kris Henderson, Henderson's widow, said.

"To see the effect of a memory of him carry even to people who maybe didn't know him, but then they wish they had ... I just look around, and the support they've given, it makes you speechless," Kris Henderson said. "I wish I could tell him how proud I felt."

Though Pay It Forward Friday is celebrated on the first Friday in October, every day can be a day to live out his legacy of service to others.

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