Events
Every year, about 100 kids partner with law enforcement officers to purchase Christmas gifts for themselves and their families through the Shop with a Cop Brown County, Wisconsin. The holiday program for underprivileged children takes place on a Saturday morning in December. Shop with a Cop has three main components: breakfast, shopping, and gift wrapping. Here’s a more detailed description of the police/youth holiday experience.
Eligibility
Guidance counselors and social workers from Green Bay, Wisconsin-area schools select elementary school-aged children to participate in Shop with a Cop. About 100 children are referred from Green Bay-area schools every year. School districts that participate in Shop with a Cop Brown County are Ashwaubenon, Denmark, De Pere, Green Bay, Howard-Suamico, Oneida, Pulaski, Seymour, West De Pere, and Wrightstown.
Parent Participation
Parents bring their children to a designated pick-up location on a Saturday morning in December.
Police/Sheriff Officer Participation
Law enforcement officer volunteers pair up one-to-one with an elementary school-aged student.
Get Acquainted over Breakfast
The officers and kids load a school bus and travel to McDonalds where they are treated to breakfast, get to know each other, and talk about gift ideas. The children receive a Shop with a Cop T-shirt compliments of Promotional Designs of Ashwaubenon.
Christmas Shop
Buses from Lamers Bus Lines and Woody’s Wheels transport the officers and kids to Wal-Mart. Assisted by their law enforcement partner, the kids choose gifts for their family members. At the end of their shopping trip, they choose one gift for themselves.
Pose for a Photo
The kids and cops pose for a photo as a keepsake for the child. Special thanks to volunteer photographers Kristen McMullen, forensic specialist with the Green Bay Police; Nora Cheney, evidence tec with the Brown County Sheriff’s Office; and Beth Relyea, owner of Beth Relyea Photography.
Wrap Gifts and Say Good Bye
Buses transport everyone to a central location where the wrap their gifts. Parents pick up their children after a morning spent at Shop with a Cop Brown County.
