By John Gittings
WiscNews
BARABOO, Wis. — First responders and law enforcement officers from several Southcentral Wisconsin communities delivered another round of holiday happiness to area kids this last week.
Police, fire and EMS staff in Baraboo, along with police in Portage, Lake Delton and Mauston, took children in each community to area Walmart stores to pick out gifts for the kids and their families. Funds raised throughout the year helped the responders spread holiday cheer.
The event has different names in each community — Holiday With a Hero, Shop With A Cop, etc. — but they all took place between Wednesday and Sunday.
The Baraboo event, called Holiday With a Hero, celebrated its ninth installment on Wednesday. Baraboo Police officers, Sauk County Sheriff’s deputies, and fire and EMS staff from Baraboo and North Freedom picked out gifts at the city’s Walmart and wrapped them at the Baraboo Arts Center that afternoon.
“This is a good way to network with families and work with the local businesses to support kids, especially in the holidays,” Baraboo Police Chief Justin Carloni said. “This is a prime example of community policing.”
Werner picking out jeans
Baraboo Police Lt. Ryan Werner helps pick out jeans at the Baraboo Walmart during the annual Holiday With a Hero event on Wednesday afternoon. This was the ninth year of the event in which area law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics and security personnel shop with area children through funds raised by nonprofit Baraboo Community Heroes.
Carloni, who emphasized community policing in his bid to become the city’s chief in February and March, said he did similar activities during his 24-year Milwaukee Police career.
“The energy that they — area kids — have brings out some energy and fun-ness in us as well,” Baraboo Police Lt. Ryan Werner said.
Funds for Holiday With a Hero come from community events throughout the year that Baraboo Community Heroes, a nonprofit with members of first responder groups in Baraboo and Sauk County , hosts. Area businesses, including Christmas Valley Tree Farm, and individuals also donate for the event.
“It is a really rewarding thing for us as the Community Heroes group,” Baraboo Area Fire and EMS District Assistant Chief Mark Willer said. “They — the kids — are always fun to hang out with.”
Columbia County responders and children warmed up from the bitter cold on Saturday morning to shop at the Portage Walmart, while those in Juneau County did the same Sunday morning at the Walmart in Tomah.
“This is our best event of the year,” Columbia County Sheriff Roger Brandner said. “The smiles you see on these kids are incredible. What a proud moment to see all these different departments, not only the Sheriff’s Office , but the municipalities that volunteer their time to make it a little brighter for a few families this Christmas season.”
“Shop with a Cop is one of those rare days where the true meaning of Christmas is felt in every moment,” Columbia County Sheriff’s Office Detective Kourtney Fleischhacker said in an email.
Fleischhacker added that the reactions from and connections with area children “remind us why we serve.” Columbia County has hosted Shop With a Cop for a decade. The responders and children wrapped gifts at the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office in Portage after shopping.
The program is funded through business and individual donations, a bowling tournament in March, the Portage Walmart, and numerous other entities. Twenty-eight families participated in Columbia County’s 10th Shop With a Cop, according to Brandner.
Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells Police officers, along with Delton and Kilbourn Fire staff, hit the Wisconsin Dells Walmart store in Lake Delton on Saturday afternoon for their Kops for Kids event, which has been going on since 1997.
“It’s a great showing of participants, of volunteers here to help shop with the kids,” Lake Delton Police Sgt. Lucas Killick, who has participated in Kops for Kids for 25 years, said. “We’re ready for it. It’s warming, even in the cold weather.”
Sheriff shops for the holidays
Columbia County Sheriff Roger Brandner, right, his assistant Nadeanna Giuffre, back center, and her daughter, Athalia Giuffre, left, take Alicmarie Thomson of Portage shopping at the city’s Walmart during the 10th annual Shop With a Cop in Columbia County.
The Dells area Kops for Kids hosted 53 children and families, according to Killick, which he said is the average amount of kids served by the event each year. He said the event not only gives gifts to children from lower-income families, but also gives them a positive experience with responders, particularly law enforcement.
“Over the course of my 32 years in law enforcement, both in California and here, being a part of these types of events is always an enjoyable experience,” Lake Delton Police Chief Eric Thunberg said in an email. “It’s a great reminder about the importance of helping others and being thankful not only during the holiday season but all year long.”
“Scammers are always changing their tactics to find new methods of success,” Portage Police Chief Keith Klafke said.
Kops for Kids donors include Kalahari Resorts, Wilderness Resort, Moosejaw Pizza and Brewing and Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park.
This is the second year of Shop With a Cop for Juneau County law enforcement agencies. The Juneau County Sheriff’s Office, New Lisbon and Lyndon Station Police Departments, and Wisconsin State Patrol and Department of Natural Resources participate.
Breakfast with the Chief
Lake Delton Police Chief Eric Thunberg, back left, has breakfast with Violeta Savrov, front left, and her children, Ian Antonov and Milena Antonova, right, at Spring Hill Elementary School in Wisconsin Dells on Saturday morning before heading to the Walmart in Lake Delton for the 28th annual Kops for Kids holiday shopping event.
“It’s great to see kids who may be a little less fortunate receive gifts, smile, and genuinely enjoy themselves throughout the day,” Juneau County Undersheriff Zach Board said in an email. “Being able to brighten their day, even just a little, is one of the most rewarding parts of why we do this event.”
Juneau County’s Shop With a Cop is funded through grants received through the county’s Department of Human Services Youth Justice program.
Wisconsin State Patrol troopers participated in all the southern Wisconsin first responder holiday events.
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