By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
OXFORD TWP. — There were children and toys and a lot of joy for the boys and girls who were given the promise of a wonderful Christmas during the Shop with a Hero event at Meijer on Dec. 4.
And while the heroes weren’t clad in a red and white outfit or flowing capes, they had looked into the eyes of the local youths and promised that, if only for one night, the kids would be the center of their worlds.
Eight deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Orion Township Substation and three Orion Township firefighters volunteered their time and took up the mantle of Chris Kringle to bring holiday light into the lives of area children in need of a little Christmas spirit.
Every year, Meijer in Oxford hosts Shop with a Hero. Individual police and fire departments also raise funds, with each department giving around 10-15 kids a $150-$200 shopping spree to put gifts under the Christmas tree. “Because every child deserves a Christmas” is their motto.
The Orion Township deputies helped 14 kids have a merrier Christmas. The deputies also planned on hosting a separate event for 17 high school students at a later date.
Orion Township Substation Lt. H. Keith Weir first got involved with Shop with a Hero in 2008 and said that each year when deputies are asked who wants to participate in Shop with a Hero there’s never a shortage of volunteers.
“Once they’ve done it one time you can’t get rid of them. They keep volunteering their time year after year because they see the need for it,” Weir said. “We had 14 kids and when you walked in you saw that each one of these children were deserving and needed assistance. So, when the deputies come in and the see that, they can feel it and they see it in the child’s face.”
The deputies and firefighters look forward to Shop with a Hero, with many making it a family event, bringing their spouses or children to help them shop. At least three of the deputies brought their children to help with Shop with a Hero.
Aubrey, 12, has been attending Shop with a Hero with her father, Deputy Charles Piotrowski, and sister, Parker, for four years now. Helping other kids shop for presents – and being with her family – makes Shop with a Hero a special holiday event.
What really makes it special for Aubrey “making all the families happy and helping them get what they want.” Sometimes, the kids she shops with give her a hug to thank her.
“I was able to watch the deputies having a good time shopping with the kids, and it’s giving back to the community in ways that you don’t normally see. What can we do to give back to our community? This is a great way to do that,” Weir said.
Kids for Shop with a Hero are selected each year based on recommendations from the schools and the school resource officers. Funding is provided by community donations and contributions from the deputies, many of whom reach into their own pockets to purchase a gift for the child they take shopping.
“The community stepped up. We had community members from all over the township asking how they could help,” Weir said. “The same people that had donated in the past came forward, but this year it seemed like we received a lot of interest from community members who had not participated in the past, but just really wanted to be a part of it.”
If anyone would like to donate to Shop with a Hero – or their local police and fire departments’ ongoing efforts to assist the community – contact those departments directly.