Shop with a Cop brought smiles to 25 local students at Londonderry Mall!
“It's an initiative led by the Northeast Beats team where they take 25 youth in need, shopping and these youth are not just shopping for themselves. They're also shopping for their entire family,” said Edmonton Police Foundation spokesperson Elisha Jackson.
The children were selected by their schools. Each student received three hundred dollars and gift cards to shop in any store in Londonderry Mall. The children then wrapped their gifts with police members before enjoying a pizza party.
The idea is to simply have fun while creating positive relationships with the police.
Superintendent Derek McIntyre says events like this are hugely beneficial for citizens and his colleagues.
“I had a mother with her son who came up to introduce themselves to us because she said when she grew up in this neighborhood, she was afraid of the police because she was told to be afraid of the police. And she refused to have that pass on to her son's generation. So, she tried to demystify the police to her son. ‘The police are good, the police are involved in your communities and neighborhoods, and they are safe people to be around.’ And I think events like this generate that for future generations.”
The Edmonton Police Foundation would like to thank Londonderry Mall, and sponsors Tim Horton’s and Shoppers Drug Mart for all their help in making this year’s event another success.