Weber County police, firefighters spread holiday cheer to kids in need
-
- Santa Claus arrives at the Riverdale Walmart on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, as part of the Shop With a Hero event. In all, 99 kids received presents as part of the initiative, spearheaded by Bonneville High School students and Weber County Sheriff’s Office officials.
-
- Santa Claus arrives at the Riverdale Walmart on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, as part of the Shop With a Hero event. In all, 99 kids received presents as part of the initiative, spearheaded by Bonneville High School students and Weber County Sheriff’s Office officials.
-
- Santa Claus arrives at the Riverdale Walmart on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, as part of the Shop With a Hero event. In all, 99 kids received presents as part of the initiative, spearheaded by Bonneville High School students and Weber County Sheriff’s Office officials.
RIVERDALE — It’ll be a better Christmas for nearly 100 Weber County kids.
They’ll have a few more presents under the tree, at least.
Around 70 public safety officials from Weber and Morgan counties gathered in Riverdale on Saturday, joining the kids and helping them pick out presents at Walmart. One of the key aims of the Shop With a Hero event is to spread holiday cheer to kids from families that may be struggling financially or otherwise.
“It gives them the opportunity to have a Christmas and have that hope,” said Devery Daniels, student body president at Bonneville High School, which aided in fundraising to make the event possible. “I hope they walk away with a lot of hope and joy.”
The Weber County Sheriff’s Office and Weber County Sheriff’s Foundation also aided in the effort, with assistance from law enforcement officers and firefighters from varied agencies around Weber and Morgan counties. An officer or firefighter would team with a kid or a few kids, accompanying them around the big box retailer as they picked out presents.
Santa Claus even showed up in an AirLife Utah helicopter, landing in the Walmart parking lot and greeting the kids inside the store.
“They’re just super excited,” said Shawn Stanger of the Roy Fire Department, accompanying kids from two families.
Aside from spreading Christmas cheer, Stanger and organizers also aim to spread a positive message about police and firefighters.
“It helps the kids know that our law enforcement is there to help them,” said Tyler Dunyon, a student government advisor at Bonneville High who works with students at the school involved in the effort. “Really it’s to let kids know police officers are their friends, their heroes.”
Some of the kids come from families that may have had encounters with police brought on by problematic domestic situations, Dunyon said. The Shop With a Hero event is meant to give them a chance to interact with public safety officers in more positive circumstances.
“They get to interact with law enforcement. They get to ride in a cop car with the lights and sirens on,” said Lt. Mark Horton of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials at area schools also recommend participants for the program, while the law enforcement officers and firefighters also find kids, focusing on those who may come from families struggling financially.
In all, 99 kids took part in Saturday’s event, according to organizers, each with a $150 gift card for presents. The Bonneville High students helped raise funds while Walmart also pitched in. The kids also got breakfast at the Riverdale Denny’s early Saturday morning, ahead of the shopping spree.
“A lot of them get a Christmas that they probably otherwise wouldn’t get,” Horton said.
