Redlands Shop with a Cop seeks donations after sponsor pulls out By Kristina Hernandez, Redlands Daily Facts POSTED: 12/15/14 REDLANDS >> Organizers of this year’s Shop With a Cop benefit seek donations after a major sponsor pulled out. The group learned of the news Friday and is currently scrambling to raise $1,000 before this year’s spree planned for Dec. 22 at Target in the Citrus Plaza shopping center. Organizers did not disclose the name of the erstwhile sponsor. “This is just awful. It’s just too close to Christmas for this to happen,” said Gail Howard, a co-organizer of the event. Hosted by the Redlands Police Department, Shop With a Cop provides children with a shopping spree to remember. Each child is given $100 to spend and is paired with a member of the department or a community volunteer as a shopping buddy. Cops and volunteers typically keep track of spending on their smartphones and often dig into their own pockets to cover any amount over costs allotted. “For the event, Shop With a Cop is more personalized because many of these kids are recommended by their school principal and certain community leaders because there’s an obvious need but they also want to acknowledge the efforts by the child or let the child know they are not forgotten,” said Officer Elyzabeth Green. Children have free range to select gifts of their choice. Many grab toys or gaming accessories, while others focus their shopping venture on items to use as gifts to family members from siblings to grandparents. “That’s the awesome part of this,” Green said. The event is also planned to help build community relations between the department and children in the area. That is something Green looks forward to, she said. “It gives us a chance to talk and say, ‘Hey, how is it going? What’s going on?’ It just as big a blessing to us as it is for them,” she continued. Donations of any amount can be dropped off at the Redlands Community Center, 111 W. Lugonia Ave. Donors can pay in cash or by check payable to the city of Redlands. Donations must be placed in an envelope addressed to Green and must have a note stating what the donation is for. Donations can also be given to Howard throughout the week. To set up a time to meet, donors can contact Howard by phone at 909-213-1580. “Losing the sponsorship we had hoped for puts us in a crunch to cover the kids that we had promised. Any amount—$5, $10, $300, $1,000—would be awesome,” Green said. redlandsdailyfacts/social-affairs/20141215/redlands-shop-with-a-cop-seeks-donations-after-sponsor-pulls-out
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 18:51:00 +0000
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