2020 Parker Impact Award Recipients

Congratulations to the winners of the 2020 Parker Impact Award!

Chief David King, Parker Police Department (retired)

David King began his career with the Parker Police Department in 1986. Over the years he moved up through the ranks, becoming Chief of Police in 2006. Over the next thirteen years, Chief King, through his leadership and the contributions of his outstanding officers and staff, made significant improvements to the Department and its relationship to the community. Today the Parker Police Department is housed in an energy-efficient, state-of-the-art building. Its stature within the law enforcement community has been enhanced by the Department’s accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). Under Chief King’s leadership, the Department instituted its first K-9 and mounted patrol programs.

Chief King strongly believes that the Department and the Parker community should be in partnership, a shared venture in community law enforcement. That partnership is reflected in the Department’s emphasis on Community Oriented Policing which has helped forge a strong and durable bond between the Department and the citizens of Parker. The harmonious department-community partnership is demonstrated through a number of initiatives such as the popular Citizen Police Academy, Coffee with a Cop, the Ride-A-Long program, Shop with a Cop, and the Teen Academy.

The Parker Police Department continues to benefit from strong community support and consistently receives high ratings in surveys conducted by the Town of Parker. Those who live, work, and enjoy the many benefits of our community feel safe here thanks to the men and women of the Parker Police Department. That is a major reason the Town of Parker has been consistently ranked as one of the safest cities in Colorado.

Chief David King retired at the end of 2019. He leaves a legacy of law enforcement excellence that will serve our community well into the future.

William Kraemer, Parker Task Force

William Kraemer is a consummate volunteer, working six days a week for multiple organizations. Through his dedication to others and to service, he makes a huge positive impact on our community. His volunteerism began after his daughter suggested he had too much time on his hands. In 2010 when driving by the Parker Senior Center he saw a sign about a yard sale, so he stopped in and offered to help. He was quickly recruited to be a volunteer and served as a driver, taking seniors to and from various appointments. He continues to volunteer at the Senior Center in the kitchen or doing needed maintenance.

Bill added another organization to his volunteer career when he became a Parker Task Force volunteer in 2014. He goes to local stores on weekdays, picking up donations and taking them to the Task Force food bank. He is known for doing whatever needs to be done, including sorting and boxing food for the storeroom. He also interacts with clients in a positive and cheerful manner as he takes their groceries to their cars. Bill works at every community food drive, driving to and from the grocery stores picking up boxes of donated food.

Bill served his country for 29 years and retired from the Army as a Lt. Colonel. He began his Army career as an 18-year old medic, later became a nurse and, after earning his master’s degree in 1977, became a hospital administrator. Bill is an active member of the Parker American Legion Post 1864, serving as its treasurer and past commander. Through his involvement with the Military Order of World Wars, an organization to foster community service and patriotic education established in 1919, he supports local ROTC students through a leadership training program. Bill is also a loving and involved grandfather. Helping others has been and continues to be a way of life for William Kraemer.

Pastor Russ McCracken, Southeast Christian Church

Pastor Russ McCracken is the founding pastor of Southeast Christian Church (SECC). He is a native of Iowa and received his education at Nebraska Christian College and the University of Nebraska. For more than sixty years, Russ has pastored churches in Nebraska and Colorado with his wife Bev. In 1972, Russ was called to plant a new church in the southeast Denver area and Southeast Christian Church (SECC) was born. That original congregation was just 25 people – including children. In November 1998 SECC moved to Parker, opening with approximately 600 people. It has grown to more than 3,000 in weekly attendance.

In addition to establishing and growing SECC, three ministries initiated by Pastor Russ have developed into separate 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations in Parker.

SECOR (Southeast Community Outreach) had its origin in a storage closet as a Christmas outreach in 1993. In 2019, SECOR served over 20,000 people and provided more than 600,000 meals. That original Christmas outreach continues, providing Christmas gifts to more than 1,800 children in 2019.
Southeast Christian School was founded in 1999, with a current enrollment of 350 students.
The Southeast Counseling Center currently has a staff of 13 professional counselors serving more than fifty clients monthly.

If you’ve ever attended a service or event at SECC, it’s likely you received a warm welcome from Pastor Russ. Over the years, Russ has extended the hand of friendship and the love of Jesus Christ to thousands of Parker’s citizens. Russ has personally touched the lives of thousands of Parker’s residents through major life events: baptisms, weddings, illness, counseling, and memorial services. His loving care has extended far into the Parker community – you need not be a member of SECC to have Russ visit you in the hospital or perhaps take you to an appointment, which he frequently does.

Pastor Russ McCracken has selflessly served the Parker community as a pastor and it is entirely fitting to recognize his exemplary ministry.

Click here to view previous years' recipients of the Parker Impact Award.