By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The spirit of giving filled the aisles of the Bowling Green and Rossford Meijer stores the past two weekends as police officers from every local jurisdiction helped nearly 180 local youths shop for Christmas.
Organized by the Wood County Fraternal Order of Police, the shopping rules were simple: With a maximum of $150 to spend, first in the shopping cart were necessary clothing items such as coats, boots, shoes and warm clothes for winter. Next, the kids could pick out a gift for any other family member. The final items for the cart were reserved for toys or other desired gifts.
On Saturday in Bowling Green, seven-year-old Kaydence’s shopping list started with shoes, pants and shirts.
Bowling Green Patrolman Seth Woelke was all smiles after their picture with Santa and their first stop in the shoe department.
“What’s your favorite color?” he asked the Elmwood first-grader. Easy answer, “Blue,” Kaydence responded quickly.
With no blue shoes in his size, they quickly found a cool black and white pair of sneakers.
“Do you want single or double knots?” Woelke asked, adding that “Double knots were a big deal when I was growing up.”
Kaydence didn’t have a preference since he is just in the process of learning to tie his shoes.
“Well, let’s tie them up and see how fast you can run,” Woelke said. The shoes fit and were the first item placed in Kaydence’s cart.
He also picked out two pairs of comfy pants that reminded him of his favorite pajamas and a package of non-Pikachu socks (the Pikachu socks weren’t in his size). A pair of winter gloves with a scary-looking skeleton hand on the top stopped him in his tracks. “I really like those,” he said about the gloves that he asked for to replace the unmatched pair he currently wears.
“Now let’s go find some fun stuff,” Woelke said, as they talked about school and winter break, winding their way through the aisles to find the Mr. Beast and Lego sections.
The shopping for Christmas is the main reason for the event, explained Dan Van Vorhis, president of the Wood County FOP and the organizer of the outing.
“Many of these kids don’t have this kind of opportunity to go into a store to shop for themselves,” he said. Often, they choose to get necessities, like underwear and deodorant, rather than the niceties of Legos and Barbies.
At the Rossford event, one boy’s cart was empty because he couldn’t make a decision, Van Vorhis said. He really wanted to buy some steaks, but that was discouraged because the families get a box of food as part of the sponsored event.
“We learned that he really just loved to cook steaks, but the family couldn’t afford them,” he said. “He got the steaks, and he was so happy.”
In addition to the shopping, there is a lot of conversation and learning that goes on. “It’s also is about building positive relationships between the kids and police officers,” Van Vorhis said.
Many of the children selected for the program are referred by police officers who have visited their homes for various reasons, and others are referred through the school districts in the county.
“We like to recreate some of the traditions that we had growing up,” Van Vorhis added.
Woelke, who grew up in Bowling Green, felt good about his first Cops and Kids experience. After working for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department for six years where the focus was exclusively on patrolling, he returned to his hometown when he was hired by the Bowling Green Police Division in September.
The BG department’s focus on community outreach has been a welcome addition to his officer duties, Woelke said. His Bowling Green roots, steeped in giving to others and being part of the community, were lessons learned by watching his parents Jim and Martha Woelke actively engage in service and commitment to their community.
“The community outreach and involvement as a Bowling Green police officer has been like coming home,” he said.
For Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Nathanael Downer, participating in Cops and Kids was a full-circle moment for him. A relative newbie to the Bowling Green post, Downer had previously worked as an officer in Upper Sandusky and a deputy for Hancock County before joining the state highway patrol in June.
Shopping with six-year-old Skylin on Saturday and other children at Rossford the week before, was a gift forward and a gift backward. He recalled a couple of Christmases as a child when his family had to rely on the help of similar service organizations.
“This feels good to be able to give back,” Downer said. The thanks were all in Skylin’s bright eyes as she picked out leggings, a coat, boots, some Barbies, a doll house and an adorable, squishy unicorn toy.
“We’ve got a theme going on,” he said, pointing to the pink and purple items that filled the cart.
This year was the 19th year the Wood County FOP has hosted the event, Van Vorhis said. “The event would not be possible without the tremendous support of the community. It’s a great opportunity for law enforcement and the community to work together to make local children’s holiday season a little brighter.”
The Wood County Firefighters Association facilitates the food box distribution through their “Firefighters Feeding Families” fundraiser, said Brock Abke, vice president of the organization.
Members of the organization joined forces with the FOP a few years ago to sponsor the food boxes that are filled with cereals, canned goods, pasta and bread. Donations support the food that is gifted, and the firefighters provide the crew to fill the boxes and distribute them at the event.
“We are happy to be part of the holiday shopping event that impacts the county we live in and the people we serve,” he said.
As the children and families left the store with smiles on their faces, Sandy Wiechman, coordinator of Safe Communities of Wood County, handed them a photo of the child with their officer and Mr. and Mrs. Claus—a lasting memory of the special holiday shopping day.
