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Community Corner

Benefit Planned for Former Inver Grove Heights Community Service Officer

The event, which will be held at the Comedy Club in Lilydale, is fundraiser for Tim Birkholz and his family.

When a 16-year-old driver ran a stop sign last August, the family of a former Inver Grove Heights community service officer was altered forever.

Christin Birkholz of Isanti, 30, died in that crash, and two of her children, 1-year-old Mason and 10-year-old Logan, were seriously injured. Another child, 4-year-old Bailey, was not physically injured in the crash.

The father of the family, Metro Transit Police Officer Tim Birkholz, is now facing mounting bills for his children’s recovery and care, in addition to the emotional trauma of losing his wife and the mother of his children.

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“I had coffee with him last week,” said Mendota Heights Police Officer Mike Shepard said of Birkholz. “He said it gets harder each day.”

To ease Birkholz’s burden, Shepard is organizing a fundraiser for the Birkholz family. “An Event to Celebrate the Life of Chrissie Birkholz” takes place in Sunday, Nov. 13 at The Joke Joint in Lilydale.

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“I think part of it is the tragedy in and of itself,” explained Shepard, “but then you have the survivor who is someone who has devoted his life to serving the community. We were Police Explorers together in junior high, and he’s been in law enforcement since. He’s dedicated his life to public service.” 

It’s that dedication that has drawn people from across the country and around the world to participate in the event. Donations for the evening’s silent auction and raffles have come from strangers, friends and businesses in the Twin Cities and as far away as Iraq and Kuwait. 

Interim Police Chief Larry Stanger of the Inver Grove Heights Police Department has also noticed this dedication. According to Stanger, Birkholz was a community service officer (CSO) for Inver Grove Heights for seven years. CSOs, while not a licensed police position, tend to work on parking complaints, animal control issues, and other community-related tasks. After getting his police officer license, he became a Metro Transit officer.

“I know Birkholz has been involved in police work for a very long time,” said Stanger. “The fundraiser is a great idea.”

Shepard has ensured that the Nov. 13 event will be an evening worthy of the Birkholz family. The doors will open at 5 p.m. for a silent auction and raffle ticket sales. The raffle grand prize is three days and nights at a Breezy Point Resort cabin, an $1,800 value. Auction items include craft items, gift certificates, fine art, and more. Food donated by West St. Paul’s The Pizza Shop will be available for purchase. At 7 p.m., there will be a family-friendly live comedy show featuring headliner Isaac Witty.

Ken Reed of the Joke Joint was happy to offer his club for the fundraiser, and is pleased to have the law enforcement community come together in Lilydale for a good cause.

“We are always eager to do whatever we can to support our police officers. They deserve it,” Reed said.

Tickets for the event are $15. Purchase tickets at the door the evening of the show, or online at the Joke Joint website.

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