History of The Shelter Foundation

“I will give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

- Isaiah 61:3

Gracie Parrish Miller’s transition to law enforcement life came as quite a surprise in April, 2013 when her husband Zack Parrish told her he wanted to leave his career in banking to pursue a career in law enforcement. Excited by this, they worked together over the next year and a half to make his dream come true. Zack burned the candle at both ends, working in banking by day while tackling the police academy by night while also welcoming their first daughter Caroline. In January of 2015 Zack was sworn in as an Officer with the Castle Rock Police Department and about a year later, their second daughter Everly was born. The Parrish family was excited to become a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) family.

Zack flourished in his new career, earning the respect of both his peers and superiors. In June 2017, he transitioned to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office to pursue the next phase of his dream: joining the regional SWAT team. Zack thrived again at Douglas County, once again building strong relationships with both those he worked with as well as those within our community.

But Zack never got the chance to achieve his goal of becoming a SWAT operator.

The Knock came at 7:55am on December 31st, 2017. “The Knock” is the dreaded nightmare of every LEO family, the unspoken fear that hangs over every LEO family, every shift, and has the potential to shatter dreams and change lives forever.

At the door, a Douglas County Chaplain & Sergeant greeted Gracie and with every word spoken, her world shattered. Zack had spent most of the preceding evening trying to help a man with a long history of mental illness. Despite his attempts, his efforts were met with gunfire. Zack was shot numerous times by the man he tried to help, and did not survive.

In that moment, Gracie went from a proud LEO wife to a devastated widow. When they joined the Thin Blue Line, no one else in the family or close friends were a first responder. She knew she couldn’t be alone in this, but that’s exactly how she felt: Alone. Every day brought new challenges, frustrations, and nuances to grapple with for Gracie and the girls.

This was too big to endure on her own, and Gracie knew the only place she could turn was God; she needed His strength, the kind of strength only Jesus could provide.

Shortly after Zack’s death, God made it clear to Gracie to pick up the torch her husband carried in serving our community. Far too many of us in the first responder community only survive when we should be thriving together. Gracie decided to follow the Lord and help fill the need for authentic, Godly fellowship amongst first responder families.

This was how The Shelter Foundation was born.

The Shelter Foundation is a non-profit working to bridge the gap in first responder communities to know, make known, and be known by God and each other. Through these efforts, we facilitate the kind of fellowship and support Gracie, and so many others like her, needed but didn’t have. We knit families and marriages together in the name of the Lord, with the vision that no first responder family would ever have to face this life alone.

First responder life isn’t just a job, it’s a divine calling, filled with innumerable ups and downs. We believe the best time to build a firm foundation is before tragedy strikes; however, if tragedy becomes your reality, we will stand with you, ready as the hands and feet of Jesus. In the first responder family, no one fights alone!

In the years since its formation, The Shelter Foundation has stood beside numerous families, spouses and widows of first responders by providing scholarships to marriage and widow retreats, counseling, studies, resources and community.