Dozens participate in Shop with a Cop event
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Brentwood Home Page intern
While the majority of Williamson County was still asleep early Sunday morning, Morris Heithcock Lodge 41 of the Fraternal Order of Police’s officers and volunteers welcomed 18 selected Williamson County families into the Cool Springs Walmart for the fifth back-to-school Shop with a Cop event. Officers provided doughnuts and coffee for more than 50 guests before the shopping began.
Each family was paired with an officer/volunteer, who helped with back-to-school shopping for the 2012-2013 school year. Students were given their school supply lists and picked out all items required for the coming school year. Additionally, each child was allowed up to $125 in clothes and other necessities.
Walmart hosts Shop with a Cop twice a year. The first event takes place before the beginning of the Williamson County school year and the second during the holiday season. The shopping event is made possible by donations from the department’s biannual telethon. Morris Heithcock Lodge 41 enjoys sponsoring Shop with a Cop because it allows the police department to “give back to the community in a positive light,” said lodge president John Maxwell.
Many officers met the selected families on-call and recommended them to Maxwell and other supervisors. Senior Chaplain Robert Michaels loves Shop with a Cop because it “shows a positive aspect of law enforcement,” said Michaels.
“This event is a happy one,” Michaels added. “We just want everyone to have fun.”
Sharika, a mother of four, was ecstatic to be invited to Shop with a Cop. She was accompanied by her daughter Trazaria, who will be starting kindergarten in a matter of weeks. Both mother and daughter were grinning ear-to-ear all morning, as Trazaria ran around the store picking out anything with Hello Kitty or glitter.
“I’m so happy to be having fun and the ability to shop for the kids’ school supplies with a cop,” said Sharika. “I am very blessed to be helped in this way.”
For more information on how to get involved, contact John Maxwell at (615) 478-8271.
