News Release
FROM THE OFFICE OF CHIEF OF POLICE
City of Eustis, Florida
For Immediate Release - December 16, 2013
Lake County Police Charities Shop with a Cop is a Huge Success
[Eustis, FL] – Picture this! The Clermont Wal-Mart at 7:00 AM Saturday morning full of law enforcement vehicles filling the parking lot as far as the eye could see. Officers, deputies and troopers all from the surrounding agencies gathering this past December 14, 2013, to participate in the annual “Shop with a Cop” event.
Before meeting with the children, officers gathered discussing their family, their professions and lives, but amidst the conversations, you can sense how this event has taken precedence in their mind. These dedicated officers are committed to building positive influences with the youth from all our adjacent municipalities.
As officers are paired with the children, you can sense the eagerness from the children and even though normally reserved, you can tell the officers are excited too. One by one, officer and child dash off beginning their Christmas shopping as a team. While shopping they discover many things about each other, and the final realization; they are not so different.
The young man, I was paired with started his spree like any other, deciding on which way to go. However, what he did next pleasantly surprised me. Before heading for the toy department, he chose to buy school supplies. When I asked if that is what he really wanted he said, “Yes, I want to do good in school.” After choosing a few school supplies, he proceeded to the clothing section and chose a couple of items before heading to the toy department.
I was so impressed with this young man in choosing to use a portion of the $100 provided to him by Lake County Police Charities for school supplies instead of Christmas gifts that I had to share this moment with his mother. She told me he was struggling in school and she was equally as astonished that he thought of his education first. It goes without saying his school supplies were taken care of so he could spend his gift money the way it was meant to be spent.
I could just envision what all the other officers experienced while shopping with these remarkable children. Even though it was only for a couple of hours, I truly believe the experiences, for both child and officer, will stay with them for a lifetime.
Among the officers attending were representatives from Howey in the Hills, Groveland, Astatula, Mount Dora, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Lady Lake and many others including our own Eustis Police Department’s Corporal Phil Levingston, Senior Officer K9 Larry Dillon and Community Relations Officer Robert (Smikey) Simken.
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