This week marks 23 years since 9/11.

Community members in Brooklyn Park on Monday honored the sacrifices made by first responders on Sept. 11 and every day with a ceremony and golf tournament.

The event was put on by the Front Line Foundation, which financially helps the families of Minnesota first responders after a death or severe injury in the line of duty. It also helps departments buy tactical gear.

The Foundation says since 2018, it has paid out more than half a million dollars to first responders across the state.

Ryan Sheak, a detective at White Bear Lake Police Department, was shot multiple times on the job in January 2023. He told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he’s forever grateful for the help he and his family got from the Foundation.

“The world doesn’t stop, but my world did and my family’s world did,” he said. “There’s bills, there’s finances, there’s these things that just keep on going that need to be taken care of. The Front Line Foundation steps in a big way during those times to support and satisfy those needs.”