Swanson Christian Products President John McKinney and Correctional Work Center Superintendent William Cope have built a strong partnership over the past seven years. In that time, the Work Center and Swanson have worked together to provide work release opportunities to qualified offenders in Rutherford County.

The work release program enables inmates who have demonstrated positive work ethics to work for a private employer in the community such as Swanson. The program is highly structured, with supervision requirements that help the offenders to be successful as they attempt to re-enter society from incarceration. "Inmates learn skills and acquire trades that enable them to continue employment after they are released and it's a great tool to reduce recidivism" says Cope.

When Swanson discovered they had an overstock of silicone "support our troops" wristbands, McKinney knew just who to call. "Over the years Bill (Superintendent Cope) and I have worked closely together so I knew he had personal ties to the Fort Campbell area" said McKinney. Cope then arranged transport and distribution of the wristbands. Swanson has since donated hundreds of the wristbands to children of service members in and around Fort Campbell, Montgomery County, Tennessee and Christian County, Kentucky.

Recently, McKinney and Cope got a "thank you" in the form of huge cards signed by many of the children who received those gifts. "It's heartwarming to know that such a small gift is appreciated so much. It truly is an honor." says Cope. "Our troops deserve to know we support them, and their children also need to know that we recognize their sacrifice as well. I'm happy that we were able to show our support through teamwork on a local level." explains McKinney.