Racine police team up with kids for 'shop with a cop:' "That's what the Christmas spirit is all about -- giving"
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Some lucky elementary school students within the Racine Unified School District had the opportunity to "shop with a cop" on Saturday, December 5th. While the annual event is meant to help kids, the police officers benefited as well.
Police officers often see people at their worst -- but on Saturday, officers were able to help kids be kids.
Racine Police Department "shop with a cop" event
"I like the red one for my little brother," Artrelas Ray said.
Ray was one of more than 50 students chosen to shop with a cop.
"I had fun because I got to buy stuff for my family and me," Ray said.
The students who participated were nominated by their teachers based on financial need and their grades in school. They had the opportunity to go on a shopping spree -- but officers said they were pleased to see the kids purchasing items for others.
Racine Police Department "shop with a cop" event
"That`s what the Christmas spirit is all about -- giving -- and he learned that really quickly," Racine Police Chief Art Howell said.
Each student who took part in this event was given $200, and that money allowed the kids to purchase more than 1,000 presents.
While the "shop with a cop" event is about giving deserving children a special Christmas, it's also designed to create a relationship between officers and children in the community.
Racine Police Department "shop with a cop" event
"These are the people we that were sworn to serve and protect and these are the people that we need to interact with, so we need to have a good relationship and this is what this is all about relationship building," Chief Howell said.
Ray says it was special to have the police chief by his side.
"We had fun buying all the different types of stuff that I wanted," Ray said.
In addition to shopping on Saturday, the children were able to enjoy breakfast with their officer.
Racine Police Department "shop with a cop" event