CANFIELD — Back the Blue Ohio will host its fifth annual event noon to 5 p.m. Saturday on the Village Green in Canfield. This year, the event will pay tribute to three fallen Ohio officers.

Back the Blue Ohio was founded in 2020 by Christine and Sam Oliver of Canfield.

“In July of 2020, my husband and I were sitting in our living room and were talking about the bad rap police officers were getting,” Christine said. “I put out a message on Facebook about holding a rally to show support for our officers and had over 200 people respond.”

She said after the tremendous response, they decided to form a nonprofit to raise funds for the children and families of fallen officers. Because the nation had many Back the Blue groups forming, the Olivers decided to call their group Back the Blue Ohio.

The first event on Oct. 20, 2020, on the Village Green in Canfield paid tribute to Cleveland officer James Skernivitz, who was shot in his patrol car in the line of duty. His close friend, officer Nick Sabo, took his own life shortly after. Both officers left families with small children.

“We mailed a check for $2,000 to each family at Christmas,” Christine said.

Each year since, Back the Blue Ohio has paid tribute to fallen officers from the previous year. This year, the tribute will go to three officers, according to Christine.

The first is officer Jacob Derbin from the Euclid Police Department. He was single, but was engaged to be married in less than a year. He was with the department for only one month when he responded to a domestic call on May 11, 2024, where he was shot and killed.

The second officer is Lt. Rodney Osborne with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in Pickaway County. Osborne lost his life in an accidental shooting on the prison’s firing range. He left a wife and three children.

The third man honored for 2024 is Jamieson Ritter, a Cleveland police officer who was shot and killed while attempting to make an arrest on Cleveland’s East Side on July 4. He was 27 years old.

Several Canfield officers will work the event. Assistant Chief Scott Weimer said he supports an organization that is giving back to law enforcement and the officers who gave their all to protect their communities.

“Thank God we haven’t had a situation in Canfield,” he said. “Back the Blue Ohio is a wonderful organization with a noble cause.”

Christine said the organization brings in funds through an annual golf outing at Bedford Trails on the weekend before Father’s Day. During the Back the Blue Ohio event in the fall, a basket raffle, donations and vendor spots help raise more money.

“In the beginning, we had to pay for the band, the (portable toilets) and tent rentals,” Christine said. “Now we get sponsors for these things and more of our donations go toward the families of fallen officers.”

She said with sponsors paying the tab for the event, the proceeds can go toward an eventual goal the Olivers and others would like to see — a $1,000 scholarship to Youngstown State University.

As for this year’s event, Christine said it will start with the Blue Angels Motorcycle Club leading a caravan of motorcycles from The Manor in Austintown down state Route 46 to the Village Green. The caravan will arrive at noon and a ceremony will begin. After the ceremony, there will be bounce houses for children, craft vendors, food, a classic and custom car show, and music provided by The House Band.

The event will wrap up around 4:30 p.m. with a 21-gun salute provided by the Youngstown Police Department rifle squad. Last year’s event had an attendance of over 1,200. Christine is hoping to top that this year.

For more information on the event and Back the Blue Ohio, visit www.backtheblueoh.com.