Telegraph Staff Writer
They weren’t dashing through the snow, and the sound of sirens was nothing like the sound of jingling bells, but the police escort of children to Walmart is a sure sign to people in Starke that Christmas is upon us.
The Starke Police Department’s 17th annual Shop With a Cop took place Dec. 14-15, allowing 334 children from Southside, Starke, Lawtey and Lake Butler elementary schools to participate in a $100 shopping spree. They were escorted by members of various law enforcement and other agencies as well as employees of the Florida Department of Corrections Region 2 institutions.
Michael Gillick of SPD has participated every year but one during the 14 years he’s been at SPD and Lawtey Police Department before that. He escorted children both days at this year’s event.
“It’s always fantastic,” he said. “It’s one of the truly rewarding things we get to do.”
Like Gillick, Florida State Prison’s Cindy Sibley has participated multiple years and took part in both days at this year’s event.
“It’s very rewarding to see the smiles on these kids’ faces,” she said. “Some of them wouldn’t get anything (otherwise). It means a lot. It really does.”
SPD Maj. Barry Warren, who organizes the event and does the legwork in collecting donations and keeping in contact with the schools, said the event is a way of rewarding those children who are identified by teachers and school administrators as having a need, but who are still behaving and working hard to succeed in school.
Warren, dressed in his festive red-and-green attire and identifying himself as “Po-Po Elf,” addresses the children each year prior to the start of their shopping sprees and tells them as much.
“If you’re here, guess what? You’ve been doing the right things in school,” Warren told the group of students from Lawtey and Starke elementary schools, adding, “We are proud to take you on a shopping trip.”
Who the children shop with is as important as rewarding students for putting forth their best effort at school. Warren said the goal is for children to have positive experiences with members of law enforcement.
Sibley said allowing children to have this type of interaction with law enforcement is “very important.”
“A lot of kids are scared (of law enforcement). They’re getting told police are bad,” she said.
Sibley said she had a girl ask her at one of the events, “Are you a nice lady?” She replied, “Well, honey, what do you think?” When the girl said, “I think you’re really nice,” Sibley told her, “OK. See?”
In talking to the Lawtey and Starke elementary students, who took part in their shopping sprees on Dec. 15, Warren said, “A lot of these officers are off duty today. They put their uniforms back on to come here on their day off, to escort you all around this event because they care. I hope you will get to know them and understand that we, as police officers, care about you. When you’re with that officer, talk to them. Tell them how school’s going. Let them know what’s going on in your life and get to know them.”
As you can imagine, Warren delights in seeing children talk to their escorts, making the experience more than just, “What toy do I grab next?”
“That’s what it’s all about,” Warren said. “That’s what I encourage.”
Big hearts, big event
Needless to say, if SPD alone provided escorts, more than 300 children would not be participating in Shop With a Cop. The number could be about 20 if every member of the department participated.
Thanks to other agencies, including those from outside of Bradford County, the event can include many deserving children. The participation of the Department of Corrections is what really takes the event to another level. DOC provided all but 55 of this year’s total number of escorts.
“Without them, this wouldn’t be possible at this magnitude,” Warren said. “There’s no doubt about it.”
The Department of Corrections could send every employee possible, but they’d have nothing to do if the money’s not there to pay for the shopping sprees. That’s where the entire community comes in. It’s donations and fundraisers by individuals and businesses that determine just how many children get to participate.
Remember how the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes? Well, that still left him with a heart that seems tiny when compared to the generosity Shop With a Cop benefits from.
“It just shows the heart of the community,” SPD Chief Jeff Johnson said. “The heart of this community is for kids and what we can do for kids.”
Warren said, “This is a huge event because Bradford County’s heart is so huge.”
Most every year, the event has consisted of Bradford students only, but some Lake Butler Elementary students participated this year thanks to the efforts of some individuals in Union County.
“They called me in advance this year and said they had a goal to raise enough money to take care of 30 kids,” Warren said.
Warren admitted he was anxious in regard to this year’s event. Businesses and individuals have been hurting because of the pandemic.
However, if they’re struggling, they’re not alone. As Warren put it, “If they’re having a hard time, what are these kids having in their lives?”
The Christmas spirit this year proved to be alive and well and then some. This year’s Shop With a Cop consisted of the highest number of children ever and marked the third time the event has consisted of at least 300 children.
“In the last two years, we’ve needed hope,” Johnson said. “We’ve needed people to work together, and that’s what happened. This doesn’t happen without the businesses and the community coming together.”
If there’s a similar event anywhere else that is as big as SPD’s Shop With a Cop, neither Johnson nor Warren know of it. It’s pretty impressive to see, whether you’re standing on the periphery or actively participating.
“The effort and community participation that go into it are fantastic,” Gillick said. “They spend so much time and work organizing it. To see it turn out year after year after year, being able to help more kids every year, is fantastic.”
Though he doesn’t need one, Warren sometimes gets a reminder of what Shop With a Cop means to the children who participate. During this year’s event, he met a man outside Walmart who was waiting for his children to get done with their shopping sprees.
“He had two daughters chosen,” Warren said. “He said he and his daughters cried when they were notified. They lost their mother this year.”
Warren had a tough time controlling his emotions. He told the man, “That’s why we do this, sir.”
Not every child who participates, of course, has experienced the loss of a parent, but it demonstrates that sometimes you just don’t know what a child is going through in his or her life and what they’re struggling with. It’s impressive to know that those children are still striving to do their best at school.
Therein sums up what Shop With a Cop is all about. It’s a reward for those children, but it’s also a reward for those who take them on their shopping sprees.
“When you get up early in the morning, and you come in on your day off and stuff like that, seeing them happy is what makes it worth it,” Gillick said.
Sibley said, “It’s awesome. It really is. I love it.”
