Three hundred police cars with sirens blaring, lights flashing and 5- to 12-year-old kids manning the radios take to the road Saturday, Dec. 1.
The procession is part of a unique annual holiday event called “Shop with a Cop,” a program that emphasizes positive interaction between underprivileged children and law enforcement officers. The event features food, fun and entertainment at SeaWorld and a holiday shopping spree at the Target store on Sports Arena Boulevard.
The children, who have already been preselected by schools, churches and various agencies throughout San Diego County, are bused to SeaWorld in the morning before the facility opens and matched up with their “own cop.” The teams then enjoy a breakfast prepared and served by SeaWorld Culinary Operations in the park’s Nautilus Pavilion.
“We have entertainment during breakfast “” jugglers, carolers,” said Kelly Terry, senior public relations representative for SeaWorld. “And this year we are having animal surprises.”
“After breakfast, everyone goes to Dolphin Stadium for a private Dolphin Discovery Show,” Terry added.
“It’s great for the kids to see police officers in this light. They are really excited “¦ it’s a great event; a great cooperative effort. Everyone at SeaWorld is proud to be a part of it.”
The children will then pile into police cars for the next adventure of the day “” the procession from SeaWorld along Sports Arena Boulevard to the Target store for some serious shopping.
Terry called the kids and the event awesome.
She said that as the impressive procession leaves the SeaWorld parking lot there are a lot of teary-eyed folks waving goodbye.
“It’s really incredible,” Terry said. “The lights, the sirens and the kids on the radio saying, ‘Thank you, SeaWorld.'”
The boys and girls, who may otherwise never experience a day at SeaWorld, are referred to STAR/PAL (Sports, Training, Academics and Recreational/Police Athletic League), a nonprofit organization with a dedicated “Shop With a Cop” Committee.
Christine Reed, director of corporate and public relations for STAR/PAL, a chapter of the San Diego Police Athletic League, said the organization provides free youth programs and positive interaction throughout the year with committed volunteers that include law enforcement officers and firefighters.
“The mission of STAR/PAL is to inspire and aid the youth of greater San Diego to make positive life choices through active participation in educational, athletic and recreational activities in collaboration with community partners,” said Reed.
These children are also likely not to otherwise receive any holiday gifts, and that’s where Target enters the picture.
The 300-car parade transports children, cops and chaperons to Target, where the Sports Arena Boulevard store donates $100 for each child to spend on whatever they please.
Reed said that perhaps the most difficult part of the event is narrowing down the county’s many needy children to a group of 300 kids. However, STAR/PAL provides many other opportunities throughout the year “” as well as during the holiday season.
“We see a lot of kids year-round that are less fortunate,” said Reed.
Other holiday programs STAR/PAL assists with include several toy drives in conjunction with different police divisions and corporate partners.
The remainder of the year STAR/PAL’s volunteer program directors ” all full-time law enforcement officers ” oversee programs for at-risk youth. The volunteers coordinate programs and recruit law enforcement and firefighters to mentor kids.
“We also have an after-school facility in City Heights where officers work with the kids, take them out, play sports, talk and just spend time with them,” Reed said. She said UCSD student volunteers are also involved, offering homework assistance.
The group’s “Shop With a Cop” Committee is made up of representatives from 20 San Diego law enforcement agencies and led by a different agency each year.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department host the 2007 event.
“The torch gets passed off to another agency for the next year,” Reed said.
The shopping portion of the event is also impressive, Reed said.
“Target is still open to the public, then there’s 300 kids, 300 law enforcement officers, chaperons, Target employees and shoppers,” she said. “It’s an amazing sight.”
Reed recalled hearing a bewildered man in the aisles on his cell phone last year, reporting, “I don’t know, honey, but there are cops everywhere.”
The children can spend their $100 any way they choose. Bikes and toys are popular, of course. But Reed said many kids unselfishly buy presents for parents, brothers and sisters.
“We have a gift-wrapping station and the line is always backed up,” said Reed. “So you know they’re getting presents for other family members.”
She said that last year one child had a cart filled with decorations and a Christmas tree.
Wanting the boy to have some money to purchase presents for himself, Reed said, “We had some extra trees from another event and gave him one.”
“Other kids buy school supplies “” the basics “” they’re not even getting toys for themselves,” she said.
Inevitably, many children go over the $100 limit, and their officers happily pick up the rest of the tab.
“Most officers know that going in,” Reed said.
In addition to SeaWorld and Target’s participation and donations, Reed said Northrop Grumman added to the funds this year.
San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox also arranged a donation from a community fund grant to go toward the event. Otherwise, “Shop with a Cop” relies on other private donations, fund-raising events and the sale of “Shop with a Cop” T-shirts and pins throughout the year. Donations are accepted year-round.
For more information, call (619) 531-2718, or visit www.starpal.org.
The “Shop with a Cop” event, said Terry, “is heartwarming. It’s one of our favorite events at SeaWorld “¦ it gets me in the spirit every year.”