Bringing the gift of holiday joy...

Friday, December 13, 2013
Joined by their adult chaperones, nearly 130 children from the Mountain Home community shopped for their families and themselves during this year's Shop With A Cop program. The yearly event provides needed financial support to those in the community who otherwise would not be able to afford to buy gifts in time for Christmas.

There were plenty of smiles Saturday morning as the children entered the store. At least one of them could barely contain her excitement as she jumped up and down while she waited for the event to begin.

To a point, the excitement among these 130 children was a sign of hope -- a chance to make a difference in the lives of their families.

Mountain Home's annual Shop With A Cop program provided that hope. Celebrating its 17th anniversary that morning, it allowed these youngsters to buy gifts for their loved ones in time for Christmas.

In each case, these youngsters came from families facing extreme financial problems. Without this program, they faced the likelihood of seeing nothing beneath their Christmas trees on Dec. 25.

Preselected by local social service agencies, the youngsters were paired up with representatives from city, county and state law enforcement and emergency service agencies as well as airmen from Mountain Home Air Force Base.

Donna and Bill Kyle, who own both of the local McDonald's restaurants, continued a long-standing tradition that morning by proving hot meals and beverages for each child and chaperone.

The meal also allowed the escorts to introduce themselves to their "foster children" as they learned more about one another. At one table, Greg Stuart from the U.S. Forest Service watched as Mia filled out a word search puzzle as they chatted.

Nearby, Officer Sierra Jensen from the Mountain Home Police Department listened to Dafny's holiday wishes. Barbies topped the six-year-old's list.

Meanwhile, Madison told Master Sgt. Cynthia Lane that she simply wanted an overstuffed pillow that would allow her to relax while sitting on the floor of her family's house.

Lane was one of 38 people from the 366th Security Forces Squadron that volunteered their time that morning. She learned about the event from Tech. Sgt. Danny Torres, who served as the squadron's point of contact.

"I was told about the event and how it allowed people to mentor and help out children," Torres said. That was all it took for him to step forward to spread the word about the yearly program.

Senior Airman Peter Berger was one of many people from the local Air Force base that were new to the Shop With A Cop event here.

"It sounded like a good program -- to help families who couldn't afford presents," said Berger, who serves with the 366th Civil Engineer Squadron.

Volunteering that morning was a chance for the airman to "take an active role in the community," he added.

Following breakfast, the children and their chaperones packed into squad cards, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles parked in front of the local Elks Lodge. With sirens blaring and lights flashing, the procession of vehicles then made their way to the local Wal-Mart.

Once they arrived, teams of additional volunteers clapped and cheered as they welcomed the procession of children and chaperones.

With the group quickly dispersing throughout the store, the first order of business for Tech. Sgt. Esther Werstler was to pick up Santa hats for herself and Lezlie. It was the first of many presents the two of them would purchase that day.

In typical fashion, most of the children made a beeline to the toy department. In many cases, they found a gift or two for themselves but focused on finding something for their brothers or sisters.

In other departments at the local retailer, the children scoured the clothing aisles while a few more searched elsewhere to find the right gifts for their other loved ones.

Remembering what she told Santa earlier that morning, Adrianna planned to pick up some makeup for her sister. In the jewelry department, Enedina had picked out a heart necklace for her grandmother.

Meanwhile, Brooklynn was searching for a new pocket knife and sharpening stone for her uncle with plans to pick up some crafting materials for her aunt. She wasn't sure what she wanted for herself.

Volunteers made it a point to ensure the children had included something for themselves.

Capt. Kaitlin Habermeyer, for example, was busy helping Kiersten pick out new winter clothing. Receiving a hug each time something went into the shopping cart, the captain had already picked out a pair of pink snow pants for the youngster and was searching for a matching pair of gloves and a hat.

Money to buy all these gifts came from donations through various fundraisers held in recent weeks. Mary Morin from Pioneer Federal Credit Union has helped organize these events over the past 11 years.

With their gifts purchased and bagged, the group of children and adults then lined up to have each package personally wrapped. That chore was entrusted to the care of a separate group of volunteers that included 22 employees from Pioneer Federal Credit Union.

Many of these people had volunteered to help wrap presents for the Shop With A Cop participants over the past several years.

"Once they do this, they don't want to back out," Morin said. "They want to keep on doing this since it's so rewarding to help all these children."

The volunteers had two storage totes filled with paper and other supplies to help wrap each present. However, they were not sure if it would be enough.

Last year, these crews ran out of wrapping paper, prompting them to buy more off the store shelves to meet the demand. It was a small price to pay to ensure the gift of hope was complete.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: