Christmas Ornament To Honor Fallen Louisiana Trooper

A Leesville artist with a desire to give has created a beautiful holiday ornament to honor the memory of fallen Louisiana State Trooper Steven Vincent. Jill Leonard, the owner of Jillybean's studios in Leesville, told the Louisiana Radio Network the idea was based out of a desire to give.

Trooper Vincent was killed in the line of duty during a traffic stop in August. He is survived by his wife and 9 year old son.

Her original goal for the sales of the ornament was $10-thousand dollars.So far that number has been eclipsed and continues to grow as more and more people are seeing this beautiful ornament.

My imaginary number was $10,000 and I said ‘Hey, if we could give $10,000 that would be awesome’ and it would be more than I could personally give at the moment and that’s all I wanted to do, was to give.

Sales of the ornament have raised over 26-thousand dollars. Leonard says it's not just people from Louisiana that are requesting and purchasing the ornaments. There are orders coming in from all over the country. She says the demand has been very difficult for her company to keep up with but, they are doing their best.

Things get pushed back a little bit farther, but we stay on top of it, talking to our customers. It seems like everybody is really supportive and we feel like it’s something much bigger than ourselves and we’re committed to it.

Each ornament costs $12 and 60% of the proceeds go to the wife of the late trooper. The ornament is made of clay and is painted blue and is formed into the shape of the state of Louisiana. If you'd like to order an ornament for yourself or for friends and family you may do so through the Jillybean's Studio website.