Wednesday, December 14th, 2022
Officers spread Christmas cheer to families
By William Kincaid
Submitted Photo
Members of the Coldwater, St. Henry, Fort Recovery and Celina police departments, Mercer County Sheriff's Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol were paired with children whom they helped pick out items at Celina Walmart as part of the Shop with a Cop program.
CELINA - The magic of Christmas came early for 40 children and their families who took part in Shop with a Cop on Saturday at Celina Walmart.
The annual tradition finds children from hardscrabble families paired with local law enforcement officers or personnel, whom help them select toys and practical gifts.
Representatives from Celina, Coldwater, St. Henry and Fort Recovery police departments, the Mercer County Sheriff's Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol volunteered to serve as the kids' shopping buddies.
"These are children from all over Mercer County as the program benefits all the villages and areas of Mercer County," said Celina Police Chief Tom Wale.
This year, due to the immense generosity of donors, each of the 40 children could spend up to $200 on items for themselves.
"It's hard to start naming them because there were so many individuals, businesses and clubs that stepped up and donated and we were able to do that," Wale said.
Most of the children came to Walmart with a parent or grandparent, whom tagged along to watch the joyous Christmas shopping spree.
"We tried to go one (officer) for one (child). If we had a family of four or five we might have three cops for the family," Wale noted.
And the kids were tickled pink to pick out their own gifts with help from law enforcement. The younger children were more apt to be chummy with officers than the self-conscious teenagers, Wales said.
"These are kids that have never had the experience to not just look at the toys but be able to take them home with them," he said. "We did ask them to try to get something they needed. We didn't tell them they had to spend so much on it, we just said get something you need and something you wanted."
The children adhered to the request, largely choosing clothing for the not-so-fun-gift requirement of the shopping session.
"Most kids picked up some clothing," Wale said. "Anything - shoes, jeans, jackets, shirts, I mean, just whatever they wanted."
With a relatively sizable allowance, each child also had the chance to seek out items atop their Christmas lists.
"I know I saw one particular kid going nuts over a train set. He wanted his train set. He had enough to buy it," Wale said. "Mom helped him pick out the train set he wanted. That made him real happy."
Submitted Photo
Members of the Coldwater, St. Henry, Fort Recovery and Celina police departments, Mercer County Sheriff's Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol were paired with children whom they helped pick out items at Celina Walmart as part of the Shop with a Cop program.
Officers in some instances had to consult with a parent before putting an item in the cart.
"We had a kid who wanted to buy a TV and his mom said no," Wale said. "I think it was last year we had a kid that wanted to buy a BB gun and he was mature enough for it and Mom's like, 'yeah, it's fine.' We were OK with it."
In years past the program received enough donations so each child could spend about $100 at Walmart. In 2021, it rose to $150 and then to $200 this year.
"We were just concerned with inflation being so high that this year they wouldn't be able to get a whole lot with $100 or $150," Wale said. "And $150 probably would have been all right but some of our clubs really stepped up generously and I think that they expected us to give the money away and we did."
The children and their parents expressed appreciation for the opportunity, among them a mother who sought to return the kindness.
"She was grateful. She was to the point of tears and she actually …went and got some cookies and came back in and brought them to the officers," Wale said.
The officers, too, had a blast hanging out with the kids, Wale said.
"It's something we get to do that oftentimes cops don't get the positive interactions," he said. "It's as good for the officers as it is for the kids."
In fact, putting a positive face on law enforcement was one of the motivations for launching the program years ago, Wale said.
"Some of these kids, they don't see a positive side of policing. They might a lot of times see friends or family getting arrested and they don't see cops getting to be nice," he said.
When Wale ascended to the top of the department in 2014 he made it a priority to hold Shop with a Cop every year. During the first year under his leadership, the program netted just a few hundred dollars, enough to provide presents for a handful of children.
As it grew, though, there weren't enough Celina police officers to handle the expanding number of children shoppers so Wale reached out to other law enforcement agencies.
"It was imperative that we get cops from all over the county and it gives them a chance to interact with kids from their own town," Wale said.
Each year, CALL Ministries is asked to select a number of families in need from within Mercer County and nominates them to participate in Shop with a Cop.
CALL Ministries knows best who in the county is most in need of help, Wale said. Along with operating a food and clothing pantry, they also organize other programs, including a backpack program that gives qualifying students in need bags full of food to keep them fed when they're not in school.
The combined efforts of generous donors and volunteers has helped provide a Christmas for many children, Wale said.
"It truly is all about community. They're coming together to help the families that are not doing well and they're also helping law enforcement develop those positive relationships with these young kids and their parents," Wale said. "Their parents sometimes may have had a negative experience with law enforcement in the past and this kind of helps them maybe mend some of those old wounds."
Tax deductible donations to Shop with a Cop are accepted year round, Wale said. Those interested can send checks to Grand Lake Law Enforcement Association, P.O. Box 262, Celina, Ohio 456822-0262.
