ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — Jeremiah Cooper has amassed quite the collection of patches over the years.
The 16-year-old Attleboro High School junior has hundreds of first responder patches from across the globe — 708 to be exact.
Those patches line the walls of Cooper’s bedroom.
“I started putting them on cork boards, but I ran out of space on my cork boards,” he explained. “I didn’t think it was going to get this big, to be honest with you, but I just kept going and am still going.”
For Cooper, it’s more than just a hobby.
“I just thought, ‘This is really cool. I want to keep doing this,’” Cooper said.
The first patch Cooper ever received came from his dad, who gave him one from the New Orleans Police Department.
“I didn’t get another for awhile, until my dad brought me another one from New York,” he recalled.
It wasn’t until after he received his second patch that he decided to reach out to his hometown departments.
“I contacted the fire chief in Attleboro and he sent me one right away,” Cooper recalled.