By Mark Dorsey
Intern
With the opening of another day’s advent calendar complete, the children of Wilmington dig out the hidden piece of chocolate and savor the precious treasure. Just like this time-honored tradition continues, so does that of the Wilmington’s Police Recreation Association’s Shop with a Cop program set to return to the Walmart on Sigmon Road.
The program impacts children’s lives for the 24th year this Dec. 19. Focusing on children who have lost parents or experienced a family trauma, it aims to plant a seed of hope back into the hearts of those who have been recently devastated. To accomplish that goal, the WPRA has been accepting donations and relentlessly fundraising for this event, which this year has the privilege to bless 33 children with the shopping spree of a lifetime, each accompanied by one of Wilmington’s finest.
“We want to be a positive role model for these kids,” said Det. A. Merritt, head fundraiser, “to show them that we care. We’re not there to arrest them like they think that we do — it’s more we give back to the community and we are there for them.”
Due to the generosity of this year’s local businesses and private citizens, the kids will have the opportunity to meet Santa Claus and eat breakfast snacks before they race off to the shelves. The WPRA is no stranger to local generosity though, as the iconic actor Andy Griffith, star of the “Matlock” series filmed here in Wilmington, was even involved in the program’s success in its early days. Donating every year they were in the area, “[They went] as far as to have their cast and crew do Christmas shopping,” said Sgt. W. Kennedy.
There’s little else to inspire the hearts of the officers participating than that of the deserving young eyes of a child being reminded they have not been forgotten. When asked what his goals were for the Santa cop program, Merritt was quick to respond, “I’d like to [make sure we] do it another 24 years. I’d like to keep it going.”
“I have been doing this probably about 10 years now,” Cpl. Leslie Irving said. “It is a joy to just come in and walk around with the children, and help them pick out what they want. And it is just a joy for the children to see another side of the police officers.”
