The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has introduced Family Wellness Kits for its employees and their families, a new resource aimed at supporting wellness beyond the workplace. The initiative was led by Josie O’Meara, a senior at Douglas County High School and Ambassador Girl Scout, as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project.
Josie developed the kits after recognizing the specific challenges faced by law enforcement families. She gathered donations from community members and local supporters to assemble the kits, ensuring they contain resources and activities that encourage family connection, resilience, and stress management.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, “We are so appreciative to Josie O’Meara, a Douglas County High School Senior, who recognized that serving our community impacts not only our deputies, dispatchers, and employees, but their families as well. Supporting wellness means supporting the whole family, and we’re proud to add to our wellness offerings with a new resource available to our team: Family Wellness Kits.”
The kits include activities designed for time together away from work responsibilities. They also offer tools such as support resources, wellness apps, bonding ideas, and suggestions for date nights. Different versions of the kits are available depending on an employee’s family structure. Employees can check out these kits for use and are expected to return them so others may benefit.
Each kit also provides access to optional reflection surveys and additional online resources to extend support beyond what is physically included.
The Sheriff’s Office expressed gratitude toward Josie O’Meara for her leadership in creating this project: “We are incredibly grateful to Josie O’Meara for her dedication, leadership, and heart for first responder families—and to the donors who helped bring this project to life.”
