HomeMy WebLinkAboutEPD ESGR Freedom Award - Rofidal
City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
Contact: David Katz, Communications Intern
Phone 952-833-9522 • Fax 952-826-0389 • www.EdinaMN.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Department of Defense Recognizes the City of Edina for its
Commitment to Deployed Employees
Edina, Minn., April 19, 2012 – Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the U.S.
Department of Defense, recently granted the City of Edina its distinguished Pro Patria Award in praise of its
wholehearted and sustained support for City-employed Guard and Reservists.
“While certain expectations are dictated by federal and state law, some employers, like Edina, really go above
and beyond in supporting us during and after deployment,” said Kevin Rofidal, Training Officer with the Edina
Police Department. Rofidal is active with the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit - Duluth and in January
submitted the Pro Patria nomination on the City’s behalf.
ESGR awards are bestowed to organizations in the private and public sectors to recognize actions taken and
policies instituted in support of staff active in the National Guard or National Reserve. Pro patria translates to
“For the Fatherland,” and is so named in recognition of the fact that employers’ accommodations are a service
to the nation as a whole, as well as to the deployed employee and his or her family.
In the last five years, ESGR has bestowed on the City every accolade it gives at the state level – and most more
than once. Plaques for each are proudly displayed in the halls of the Edina Police Department.
“You hear stories in the news about employees in the Guard and Reserve who come home to find they’ve lost
their job, pay or seniority -- even though they’re not supposed to,” said Rofidal. “Getting that back can be a
huge process. Fortunately, I’ve had no issues.”
The ESGR Minnesota chapter will bestow this most recent and pinnacle state award on the City of Edina
Monday, May 21, at its annual banquet in Minnetonka. Rofidal and Brandon Kuske, Edina Police Department
Retail Crime Investigator and member of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Upper Mississippi River Sector out of St. Paul,
will be on hand to accept it.
In addition to the Pro Patria Award, a regional ESGR committee singled out the City as one of only two
Minnesota employers worthy of being placed in the national running for the highest-grade employer distinction
granted by the Department of Defense, the prestigious “Freedom Award.”
All told, out of 3,236 nominees, regional committees advanced only 133 organizations to the rank of national
semifinalist for this highest honor.
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City of Edina • 4801 W. 50th St. • Edina, MN 55424
A national review board composed of military and civilian leaders will whittle down
the list of 133 semifinalists to 15 winners. The recipients will be announced this
summer and honored at a special ceremony Thursday, Sept. 20 in Washington, D.C.
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