Savannah Says Thanks

The tragic deaths of New York Police Department officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in Brooklyn, New York, on Dec. 20, 2014, grieved many, including shy 10-year-old Savannah Solis of Tyler, Texas. The daughter of Bascom Assembly of God Pastor Scott Solis, Savannah dreams of being a canine officer and calls police officers her heroes.

Compelled to show her appreciation for law enforcement officers, Savannah began creating personalized thank you cards.

She has since visited more than 40 police departments in Texas, handed out over 1,100 cards, and given speeches before multiple thousands of law enforcement personnel.

Her efforts have attracted worldwide attention and led tens of thousands to take on the Savannah Challenge.

After sending 200 cards to the NYPD, Savannah was invited to New York to visit the 41st Precinct in Longwood, the Bronx and the 84th Precinct in Brooklyn Heights in February, where Liu and Ramos were assigned.

In April, the family returned to Manhattan, where Savannah was honored at the Sergeants Benevolent Association's annual Heroism Awards dinner. After the ceremony, she and her family had the opportunity to meet with the fallen officers' widows and pray for their families.

Other trips have included visits with the metropolitan police and the London Dog Training School in England.

A visit with Crime Stoppers of Greater New Orleans and superintendents from the nine school systems in the area led to 75,000 students agreeing to take the Savannah Challenge.

Though her efforts have attracted much publicity, Scott says Savannah's motive is to meet the officers and obtain their autographs. To date she has collected more than 2,000, many of which have been mailed to her from around the world.

Scott says the whirlwind of events have turned into a family ministry with his sons Jabez (13) and Josiah (7) participating at times as well.

"It has become a family passion now to go and thank police officers for what they do," he says.

On May 6, Savannah addressed 20,000 officers and their families at the 27^th Annual Candlelight Vigil held in Washington, D.C., during National Police Week.

In June, she will be the honorary guest speaker during the recruit graduation ceremony for Highway Patrol Troopers in Austin, Texas.

"Her love is real and when Jesus's love is real, it draws people," her mother, Debbie, says. "They are so desperate for that love and just to hear 'thank you.'"

Shannon M. Nass

Shannon Nass and her husband, Greg, are credentialed ministers with the Assemblies of God and live in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, with their twin daughters, Naomi and Charlotte. Shannon is a freelance writer and special education teacher who also serves as coordinator for Beyond Survival Ministries, a Christian nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading the gospel.