Children, Police Join Forces To Shop

Liliana Cunningham, 6, left, shows Mindy Medina, police dispatcher, right, a movie she may want to purchase Monday at Walmart Supercenter on South Walton Boulevard in Bentonville. Officers and other police personnel shopped with 29 students during the Bentonville Fraternal Order of Police’s annual Shop with a Cop event. Students had a budget of about $250 each to spend on presents for family members, teachers, loved ones, friends and themselves.
Liliana Cunningham, 6, left, shows Mindy Medina, police dispatcher, right, a movie she may want to purchase Monday at Walmart Supercenter on South Walton Boulevard in Bentonville. Officers and other police personnel shopped with 29 students during the Bentonville Fraternal Order of Police’s annual Shop with a Cop event. Students had a budget of about $250 each to spend on presents for family members, teachers, loved ones, friends and themselves.

— The toy aisles at the Walmart Supercenter were jam-packed Monday morning with children and police officers checking off Christmas wish lists. The uniformed officers trailed behind the Bentonville elementary school students, pushing carts loaded with gifts for the children and their families as part of the annual Shop With A Cop program.

At A Glance

To Help

The Bentonville Fraternal Order of Police raises money for its annual Shop with a Cop program through a golf tournament at the Bella Vista Country Club. For more information on the tournament or to donate funds to the program, email [email protected].

Ariana Hardney, a fourth-grade student at Sugar Creek Elementary School, shopped for her 2-year-old brother and her mother before setting off for her own presents. She picked up a Spider-Man figure and put it in the cart for her little brother.

“He always looks at this every time we come to the store,” she said.

Lt. Michael Martin, president of the Bentonville Fraternal Order of Police, kept tabs on the budget as Ariana added in an iPod Shuffle, a new BMX bike and headphones. Martin said most of the children pick out presents for their family first, making sure they have plenty of money for others before focusing on themselves.

The group raised funds this year through a golf tournament, contributions from local businesses and community donations to make sure 29 children had about $250 each to spend on Christmas presents. The Shop with a Cop program teamed up with the Bentonville School District to select children who might otherwise not have a whole lot under the tree this Christmas.

“So many of us are so blessed,” Martin said. “We forget that some kids may not get a Christmas. It’s a true joy to make that happen.”

Ariana and the other children prepared lists of what they wanted for themselves and others before embarking on the whirlwind trip. A festively decorated school bus was escorted to the store by a barrage of police cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Some stuck to their lists, while others wandered through aisles picking up and putting down video games, Star Wars characters and Lego sets.

Many of the children chose bicycles as their big gift. Martin said an anonymous donor gave bicycles to the Fraternal Order of Police for those who might want extra bikes for their siblings, but don’t have room in the budget.

Jamione Thompson, 10, shopped for his mother and a teacher before hitting up the Wii games. He picked out some dog toys for the family pet, then spent time in the toy aisle wavering between Nerf guns.

All the children were treated to lunch at McDonald’s before heading back to their schools. Ariana smiled as she talked about getting out of a day of lunchroom food.

A military vehicle decorated with garland and bows sat outside the store waiting to take the Christmas haul to the schools. School district officials made sure each child made it home with their presents at the end of the day.

Martin said the Shop with a Cop program couldn’t exist without the outpouring of community support it receives.

“The outreach from the community has been fantastic,” he said. “We’re truly funded by the whole community.”

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