Heroes lend kids a hand
Eleven-year-old Kelcie Walker had a police escort at the Spokane Valley Wal-Mart Sunday morning.
And she wasn’t alone.
Everywhere you looked, a uniformed Spokane County Sheriff’s deputy pushed carts down the aisles as a child loaded it with gifts for mom, dad, brothers or sisters.
“Oooh, my dad wants that real bad,” Walker said, as she grabbed an item off the shelf. She moved on to search for another gift her brother might like.
She found gifts for her mom, her sister and her other brother. Nearby, another child had a cart loaded with a home entertainment system for his entire family, and an Easy Bake Oven for his sister.
Several local law enforcement agencies from Spokane and Idaho teamed up Sunday for the third annual Holidays and Heroes, previously called Shop with a Cop.
Grade-school children from both sides of the state line were each given a $200 gift card to buy their families Christmas gifts. Then they were chauffeured to the Greyhound Racetrack to wrap the gifts before bringing them home with a food basket that included a gallon of milk and a whole turkey.
Everything, from the $12,000 the kids spent, the food, the wrapping paper, and the officers’ time, was donated by area businesses and groups.
“It’s nice to know that somebody pays attention and knows when somebody needs help,” said Roberta Walker, Kelcie’s mom. “You struggle not only with not getting them (gifts), but that you know you can’t, and the kids really deserve it. It’s tough.”
Walker’s parents, Roberta and Pat, are both disabled and on a fixed income. They live in Mead, and have eight children, three of whom still live at home.
“It doesn’t allow for a lot at Christmas,” Roberta Walker said. “I think, not just the gifts, but the overall experience has been great.”
The program began in 2000 with the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. It has since spread to include Spokane County and agencies in both counties including the Idaho State Police, tribal police, Spokane and Coeur d’Alene police departments, and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.
Schoolchildren are selected by teachers and social service agencies as those who may be in need of assistance each holiday season.
“We get those families who aren’t going to have a regular or normal Christmas,” said Idaho State Police Trooper Taj Wilkerson. “Each year the demand goes up.”
This year, 60 children were selected, 28 from Spokane and 32 from Idaho. The first year only 37 children were selected.
The officers picked the youngsters up at home in the morning in their police cars and headed to Wal-Mart stores in Spokane Valley and Post Falls.
On the way, the kids got to turn on the lights or the sirens.
“Part of the thrill is getting to ride in the police car,” said Spokane Valley Police Chief Cal Walker, who was Kelcie’s escort.
Kelcie flipped on the lights in the chief’s unmarked car, and watched as people pulled over to get out of the way, or turned around to stare as the car sped by.
“That’s so cool,” she said.
After shopping, the officers and the children gathered for the wrapping, eating hot dogs, and visiting with Santa Claus.
While the kids were wrapping gifts for their families, the officers were also doing a little wrapping of their own. Each officer secretly got something for the child they were escorting, when the kids weren’t looking.
“I called the parents earlier this week and asked them what she might want,” said Spokane County Sheriff’s Deputy Jeff Duncan, who was escorting an 8-year-old Trent Elementary student named Miranda. “It’s a real neat thing. I’ve never had a kid say I want this for me. They always put their families first.”