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Giving the gift of hope...
The spontaneous outburst of applause temporarily drowned out the buzz of activity at the local department store. The clapping continued each time a law officer, firefighter, military person or a few others stepped into the building.
But the applause wasn't meant for those men and women. It was a unique way of welcoming 115 children who were there on Saturday for their own special day -- a chance to bring joy and hope to their families in time for Christmas.
Mountain Home's annual Shop With A Cop program provided that hope. Celebrating its 18th anniversary, it gave the youngsters a chance to buy gifts for their loved ones in time for Christmas.
In each case, these children came from families facing extreme financial hardships. Without this program, they faced the likelihood of seeing nothing beneath their Christmas trees on Dec. 25.
"When we first started this program, we had 25 kids. This year, we have 115... so the need has grown a lot" said Police Cpl. Stan Winnings, who helps oversee the program.
Preselected by local social service agencies, the youngsters were paired up with roughly 130 representatives from city, county and state law enforcement and emergency service agencies, according to Winnings. Among them were 80 airmen from Mountain Home Air Force Base.
Darren Kyle, whose parents own the local McDonald's restaurants, continued a long-standing tradition that morning by providing hot meals and beverages for each child and chaperone. It's something the family started in 2009 when they took ownership of the restaurants -- continuing a tradition the previous restaurant owners began many years prior.
Kyle enjoys seeing the outpouring of support these children receive each year to ensure each of them are able to experience the spirit of giving for themselves. The experience always leaves him with a grin on his face, he said.
Breakfast time also allowed the escorts to introduce themselves to their "foster children" as they learned more about one another. At one table, Deputy Jackie Carratt from the sheriff's department helped Samantha cut her pancakes as the two of them got acquainted.
Seated nearby, Jade Sumsion from the U.S. Forest Service listened as Juan rattled off his holiday shopping list. The child was looking for gifts for his mother and aunt but was also hoping to include a couple of cars and trucks for himself.
Meanwhile, Andrea admitted that she really needed some new winter boots but was also hoping to add some movies to her shopping list. Genesis, on the other hand, simply wanted a mermaid doll, "so I can play with it in the bathtub," she said.
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.
Following a quick group photo, the children and escorts quickly scattered throughout the store. The first order of business for Jillian was to pick up a set of Elsa and Anna dolls from the Disney film, "Frozen." Earlier that morning, she had told her escort, Senior Airman Kyle Hughan, that she also wanted a drum set for herself, but it seemed that she was more focused on Disney princesses instead.
Over in the next row of the toy department, Juliet continued to look for gift ideas while Senior Airman Jisniel Villalta held onto her brand-new bicycle.
"She really wanted a bike," Villalta said.
In the jewelry aisle, Senior Airman Christopher Russell sat next to Saphira as she looked at an assortment of costume jewelry. The youngster finally settled on a pair of silver rings.
On the other side of the store, Officer Sierra Jensen helped Jennifer make a decision on whether to include an art set in their shopping cart. The child was torn between the art supplies and another gift she wanted to get for one of her siblings.
Once the shopping was complete and the gifts purchased, the groups then made their way to the back of the department store, where every gift was wrapped and tagged.
Waiting in line to have their packages wrapped, Tessa went over her shopping list. Her sister was getting a Monster High doll and some perfume with her brother getting a music CD.
Tessa had just one gift for herself -- a children's bow and arrow set.
"I've wanted it for a while," said Tessa, who got the idea after watching the children's animated film, "Brave."
Eduardo, meanwhile, got a bicycle for his little brother -- something the youngster didn't have. The gift would allow the two of them to ride their bikes together once the weather got nice.
Winnings admitted that the shop with a cop program shows the depth of caring these children have for their families.
"The majority of them are not shopping for themselves. They're shopping for their parents, brothers and sisters," he said.
Often times, the children will spend every dime helping their families and don't worry about their own holiday wishes, Winnings added. Their escorts usually have to remind the youngsters to make sure they include something for themselves.
"You can't buy this -- the feeling you get being with these kids and helping them," Winnings said.
It was this same spirit that inspired Staff Sgt. Karla Devia to organize a team of 60 volunteers from the 366th Security Forces Squadron that morning. She organized the unit's effort through e-mail messages as well as face-to-face contact regarding this "great opportunity" to help, she said.
Devia added that shop with a cop was also a chance for airmen without families in the local area to come together to help others in the community.
Saturday was the third time that others like Staff Sgt. Jennifer Kletzli had been part of the program. The sergeant, who is assigned to the 366th Force Support Squadron, enjoys seeing the look of delight on the children's faces each time they walk into the department store.
"They get so excited running around, being crazy and just being themselves," she said.