The program gives each child breakfast with Santa, a wrapped
gift for themselves and cash to shop for gifts for their family members. The bonus is that volunteers from the
Wellsville Village Police, Allegany County Sheriff's Deputies, New York State
Police, Andover Village Police, Bolivar Village Police, Alfred Police Department, Belmont Village
Police, Cuba Police Department, Alfred University Public Safety Department,
Angelica Police Department and several other departments are on hand to serve
as guides and helpers for the tiny shoppers.
With the involvement of the various police agencies, this
shopping trip takes on a whole different character. The children, some afraid of the police, have
a chance to select their "very own cop" and have him or her help them
shop. You can see and feel the bonding
as the morning progresses. The image of
the husky State Trooper holding the hand of a small child as they seek out
gifts, will stay with you for a long time.
The officers look forward to this special morning and enjoy it as much
as the kids do.
Once chosen and paid for, the gifts are wrapped in colorful
Christmas paper by community
volunteers, such as The Alfred Karate Club.
Then comes the final good bye from Santa and maybe a hug from a new
friend in a police uniform. Then it's
back home with memories that will carry over all holiday season.
The cost for this
program has been funded by donations from various groups and many generous
individuals. The Allegany County Department of Social Services has also helped
tremendously with candidate selection.
It costs $40.00 to sponsor each child and the program could not continue
without your support. Through
community support, in 2017, over 100 children participated in this
program. To sponsor a child, interested
parties may drop their contribution off at the Kmart Service Desk by December
1st. You may also contact Rob Mack at
the Wellsville Kmart (585-593-0030) or Steve Havey at the Greater Allegany
County Chamber of Commerce (585-268-7190).
