Harlem community rallies together to send bereaved police officer to Ireland

A community in Harlem, Georgia, has come together to help fund a beloved police officer's trip to Ireland in honor of her late son. 

Heather Olson, a Columbia County Board of Education Police Officer, had made plans to travel to Ireland next summer and planned to bring some of her son's ashes with her so that he could finally travel to his ancestral homeland. 

"We made sure that our son was well traveled, he had heritage in Germany, Italy, all over and the only place he was never able to go was Ireland," Officer Olson told local outlet WJBF.

"So next summer I was planning on going to Ireland, taking some of his ashes with me and fulfilling every place he had heritage and making it full circle for him." 

Officer Olson is a member of the North Harlem School's campus police force and regularly goes above and beyond to take care of the children, teachers, and parents at the school, according to members of the local community. 

Sheri Wright, a parent with children at the school, told WJBF that the community wanted to rally together to honor Olson "for all of her community work". 

"I think everyone knows of Officer Olson, our kids are all very familiar with her. I actually had someone reach out today and say my child thinks that she’s her best friend and I think we can all relate to that, our kids all feel the same about her," Wright said. 

Olson's friend Melissa Perkins added that Olson treats kids at the school as if they are her own children and "loves everyone that comes in contact with her". 

Members of the local community lured Olson to the City Council on the pretense of attending a council meeting but instead presented her with a check for $1,000. 

"We were here to honor Officer Heather Olson for all of her community work that’s she’s put into the community and also to get the community together, rally and put some money together to get her on a trip to Ireland to honor her late son who passed away last November," Wright said. 

Olson said she was "overwhelmed and grateful" to the members of the community who honored her son's legacy. 

"It keeps his name alive and they showed me a lot of grace and I just try to show it back to them by taking care of their children," Olson told WJBF. 

The local community has launched a GoFundMe to help raise further funds for Olson's trip to Ireland. 

*Editor's Note: This column previously referred to Harlem, New York. This story took place in Harlem, Georgia.