Police give Whitehall students an arresting Christmas shopping experience

WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — At Burlington department store Thursday, 7-year-old Valentina Berrios-Ruiz turned left onto an aisle of women’s outerwear.

And had you been fortunate enough to be there to witness the child’s reaction to what she spied hanging on the end of a rack, you best would have had a Kleenex — or two, or three.

“Ohhh, a ladies coat!” Valentina cried out to Whitehall Township Police Sgt. Shawn McHugh, her brown eyes widening as she tugged a sleeve on the black winter coat as if clutching a lifeline.

“Mom needs a coat! She needs one! Mom would like this one!”

More Kleenex, please.

Thursday was overflowing with happy children on this day of giving and getting.

Valentina and 22 other children from the Whitehall-Coplay School District were treated to a Christmas shopping spree at the 2nd annual Zephyr Express Holiday Event.

Thousands of kids served

Co-sponsored by Whitehall-Coplay School District and the Zephyr Pride Foundation, the “Shop with a Cop” program teams children from less fortunate backgrounds with 26 members of law enforcement to shop for clothing or toys for family members.

The event also was designed to create a sense of community support while helping to dispel negative stereotypes about police officers.

Law enforcement who participated in the event were Coplay Borough Police, Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office, Lehigh Valley Hospital safety officers and Whitehall Township Police.

“This is a great community that cares for students who need it,” McHugh said. “I volunteered to be part of this last year and asked to come back this year.”

The national Shop with a Cop event started in 1989 when a small group of officers passed around a hat and collected money to take a single child in need shopping for toys.

Each year since then, the program has grown, with thousands of kids being served.

Warm feeling of giving

The Burlington store was teeming with caring and carts full of presents for Christmas, picked out by children from kindergarten to eighth grade.

The police officers assisted the children in selecting appropriate gifts for family members — the bond between kids and cops solidifying with each passing moment.

Kindergartener Sienna McCoy stood on tiptoes to look into her shopping cart of gifts for her family. As she assisted Sienna, Whitehall Township Police Officer Sierra Keegan could not contain her satisfaction of helping the youngster.

Keegan was asked who was having more of a blast during the shopping spree.

“I think it might be a tie,” she said. “It just feels good to help the kids.”

For all involved in the Shop with a Cop program, the warm feeling of giving was enough to blunt the early December chill.

Each child was given a $200 shopping limit, with some of the larger families getting a $300 limit.

‘Help them have a nicer Christmas’

The children were transported to the store on a school bus. They spent more than an hour weaving in and out of the aisles, while a police officer read from a gift list provided by each child’s family.

After the shopping spree, the children and volunteers were treated to lunch at Fellowship Community, an assisted living community, where the children’s presents were gift wrapped.

“This is such a great event and a great day,” said Michelle Khouri, Whitehall-Coplay School District community relations director.

“We have so many families that need a little help during Christmas. Some of them have lost a family member, some have a parent that lost their job, some have had a sudden illness.

“There are many reasons. We’re just happy we can help them have a nicer Christmas.”