Kids Shop with a Cop for Christmas
Published: December 6, 2006
Fifty cops were matched up with 50 kids Tuesday for the 2006 “Shop with a Cop” at the Wal-Mart Supercenter.
The volunteers came from everywhere — the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office and Corrections Department, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Deep Creek Elks and Wal-Mart itself.
After the children arrived, they were matched up with a deputy, got a picture taken with Santa, and then it was time to shop. The children, who ranged in age from 7 to 12, were selected through local, nonprofit groups and government agencies.
Shop with a Cop started in the Midwest and migrated west before Deputy Jill Roguska found out about it and brought it to Charlotte County three years ago.
“We started it here after (Hurricane) Charley,” she said. “The Sheriff’s Office contacts the elementary school counselors, and the Homeless Coalition to get names. After we contact the parents and they agree, their child’s name goes on the list.”
Each child gets a cop as a helper who also pays for the items chosen, and they choose gift items for themselves as well as their parents or friends.
Watching the carts go by, there seemed to be a lot of boom boxes, games and other toys along with candles, candy and special gifts for moms and dads.
For 10-year-old Kayla Ward, it was her first year to shop with a cop and she included a close friend on her gift shopping list. (They are like sisters, her father Bill said.) She did not have a list, but she knew what she wanted.
“We went to the Homeless Coalition for some help with a bill and they asked if she would be interested in a shopping spree,” Bill said. “Her face lit up and she said, ‘Yeah!’”
As they started down the aisle with an empty cart, Kayla and her helper, Deputy Bettina Korte-Alex, said they had a plan. “Yeah,” Kayla’s father deadpanned, “to fill the cart up.”
Kay Neilley, exalted ruler of the Deep Creek Elks, said the club has been part of the program for all three years.
“We have sponsored five children every year since it started,” she said.
“We have gotten requests from the other Wal-Marts in Charlotte County, but we don’t have the manpower,” Roguska said. “A lot of preparation goes into planning this every year. A lot of people are involved.”
According to Lt. Mike Anderson, Roguska is the best worker he has.
“We owe all of this to her hard work,” he said.
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