Daily Herald
On Dec. 16 at about 12:12 p.m., the Prince Albert Police Service (PAPS) continued their annual Christmas tradition of putting smiles on the faces of 20 school kids who ordinarily would not have had the opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for their families.
The PAPS, in conjunction with school administrators from four schools in Prince Albert, selected five deserving children from each of the schools to be beneficiaries of this year’s Shop with a Cop at Canadian Tire on Tuesday.
“The most important piece is to have that positive interaction with the youths in our community,” said Derek Simonson, the sergeant in charge of Community Policing. “This is one opportunity to have that really positive connection with youths whose families are unable to open gifts at Christmas time.”
Simonson said they make sure four different schools are chosen every year while the school administrators selects the five deserving students.
“The satisfaction of seeing their smiling faces—the kids are laughing, they are so happy shopping for gifts for themselves, friends and families—it’s hard to explain how that feels,” said Deputy Chief Farica Prince. “We are just so proud of the team for getting the sponsors together. I am proud of the community for coming together to make this happen for the children and proud of the members of the Prince Albert Police who are giving their time. They have been doing it for years.”
The kids were not left out as they share their joys within the police
“The shopping is good,” said Brielle Moberly, a Grade 4 student who was shopping with officer Christine Pura. “I am buying gifts for my family for Christmas. I will get my Grandpa a hat and for my step dad a hat, (and) a teddy for my little sister, Brooklyn.
Brayden, a Grade 3 pupil shopping with a Cop at the Canadian Tire on Dec 16.
“I am really glad for the sponsors for buying me a McDonalds even though I didn’t eat all of it.”
Pura has been involved Shop with a Cop for almost 20 years running. She always looks forward to taking part.
“It’s a great day,” she said. “It’s very rewarding for us seeing the smiles on these kids’ faces. It’s a great time.”
The joy was infectious as the officers saw this as an opportunity to relate to the community where they work.
“A lot of our police officers don’t always have that opportunity to interact with the families, so this is an opportunity for proactively having positive connections with kids, their families and schools,” Simonson said.
Brayden, a grade three pupil from Queen Mary said “I am shopping for myself and my family – my Grandma, My mum.” He didn’t miss the opportunity to say thank you to the officer who took him shopping.
The Officers were grateful for the sponsors who contributed to make this happen. Representatives of one of the sponsors David Markling and Ross Butterwick of the Prince Albert Optimist Club, said it’s a great opportunity for kids to have a positive interaction with police officers.
“The police themselves love interacting with the youths,” Betterwick said. “We have been doing this with the Police Department since 2008. The Optimist Club will support anything to help the kids. The shopping isn’t for themselves alone but also for their families.”
editorial@paherald.sk.ca
