Residents are encouraged to make schools and communities safer during a vigil with sheriff’s deputies and LifePoint Church members on Monday.

The event will be at 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 10 at the church on 506 Legacy Drive in Smyrna.

Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Keith Lowery, LifePoint Associate Minister Ken Hampton and Community Services Sgt. Gary Herron will speak.

SRO Sgt. Dustin Cox will answer questions about school resource officers. The discussion will center on what the community can do to support SROs and educators to keep schools safe and children thriving while learning.

Several food trucks will be available. The Mounted Patrol Unit will show the horses.

National Faith & Blue events build safer and stronger communities by connecting residents with law enforcement officers through faith-based organizations.

Faith & Blue organizations started in 2020 by MovementForward Inc. with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services at the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Faith & Blue’s website said the goal is to reinforce the links between residents and officers to build neighborhoods where everyone feels safe and included. Faith-based organizations are key because they are the largest community resource in the nation and are as diverse as America.