Donations Sought For Annual Shop With A Cop Event

Last year more than 200 children participated in the event.

Image: Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - It’s time once again for the annual Salem area Shop With A Cop event.

This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, December 16th from 9:00 AM to about noon and is a cooperative effort involving local law enforcement, Wal-Mart and Law Enforcement for Youth, a local Salem based non-profit organization benefiting low income, at-risk and medically challenged youth.

Children are selected by referral from various local groups and organizations including the DHS Foster Care Program and the Boys and Girls Club of Salem.

This year’s event, as in past years, will be held at the south Salem Wal-Mart store at 5250 Commercial St SE.

Each participating child is partnered with a law enforcement or corrections officer and is given a $25 gift card to shop for a gift of their choice.

For many of these children, this is the first positive contact they have had with law enforcement and the interaction goes a long way toward fostering a positive view of police officers in the children.

Santa will also be on hand to greet the children and each will receive small gifts of candy and balloons.

There are over 1,800 youth in the Marion and Polk Counties that would qualify for participation in the Shop with a Cop program.

At $25.00 per this would be over $45,000.00 in gift cards alone.

Officals are seeking the public’s help to raise funds to purchase these gift cards.

Anyone who has questions or wishes to contribute or sponsor a child can contact one of the people below to find out how.

Steve Polanski, Executive Director, (503) 551-5388.

Troy Clausen, Program Coordinator, (503) 932-5385.

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Thanks for the positive feedback so far. We are close to reaching our goal for this year and should be able to reach out and help close to 400 children. The Mid-Willamette Valley is awesome.

Al et al: "Works both ways" as any reporter will tell you...we all need to make positive, friendly connection with any "law people" we know, to move away from that "info and snitch" feeling shaping far too many such contacts. They human like us when given chance undeer heavy, sometimes even fatal, pressures we do not face.

I would like people in law enforcement to get out of their inner circle and hob-knob with the rest of us. Too many officers only hang out with other officers. There are many things they can do to get to know the community for the sake of personal growth.....not to find info and snitch. Great idea Steve and Troy!

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