Angel Otero, a third grader at Andrew Cooke Magnet Elementary School in Waukegan, was looking at superhero toys as he went Christmas shopping with police Officer Laura Roscoe as part of the Waukegan Police Department’s annual Shop With a Cop event.
When Angel found a toy he liked, it went in a shopping cart with playthings that had nothing to do with superheroes.
“They’re for my sisters,” Angel said.
Giovani Guzman, a Clearview Elementary School first grader, selected a toy car and, before he was done, there were gifts in the cart for his siblings as well. Hilda Guzman, Giovani’s mother, said the gifts courtesy of the police department, were making Christmas better for the entire family.
“This is very nice,” she said. “This lets me do a lot more for our family for Christmas. I’m going to make a nice dinner. I really appreciate what this is doing for us.”
Angel and Giovani were among 85 youngsters selected to be treated to a shopping spree courtesy of the police department Saturday at the city’s Walmart as part of the 15th-annual Shop With Cop event.
Sgt. Alejos Villalobos is the primary organizer of the event. He said the participants were selected by Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 personnel. They are preschoolers through fifth graders.
“They have to have good attendance in school, be good, hardworking students and be in (financial) need,” he said. “This brings a lot of joy to the kids and their families. It’s an opportunity to engage with the community.”
Villalobos said the police themselves raised the money. No city funds are used. Approximately $11,000 was collected. Around 50 officers took part pushing a shopping cart, with a youngster and usually a parent in tow.
Each officer had $100 to spend per child. Villalobos said shopping for siblings, as Angel and Giovani did, and even buying hats or gloves for parents are not uncommon. Should the limit be exceeded, there is a remedy.
“The officers usually put in their own money when that happens,” he said. “They might add $20, $30, $40 or more.”
As participants arrived, they walked into a party with Santa Claus — each child received a picture of themselves with Santa and a few others. Seasonal cookies and other snacks were waiting for them. Villalobos said Walmart provided the goodies, and store personnel did the serving.
Escorting Angel and his mother was Officer Laura Roscoe. She said the time spent with the families on Saturday was a highlight of the holiday season for her. She was impressed with Angel’s desire to get gifts for his siblings.
“When I see this, I feel the spirit of Christmas and the holiday season,” Roscoe said.
Sylus Braxton, a Hyde Park Elementary School fifth grader, was on a mission. In his cart was a basketball, a hoop and a toy car. A member of his school basketball team, he knows precisely what he will be doing with his new belongings.
“I’m going to use them to practice when I’m not at school,” Sylas said. “I’m getting something for my nephew, too.”
Taking Sylas shopping was Officer Chris Harris. Harris already knew Sylas in a good way. As part of the neighborhood policing unit, Harris spends time each week at Trinity AME church working with youths.
“I help Sylus with his schoolwork, other kids too,” Harris said. “It’s part of the way we develop relationships in the community.”
Though Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor, who spent the morning at the event, said she knows some children shop for their siblings when they are selected to participate in Shop With a Cop, she noticed a difference this year, including the purchases themselves.
“They’re getting clothing for siblings and cuddly toys,” Taylor said. “There are more essentials; not as many things for them. It gives you an idea of how the children see things.”
