(BLAINE, Minn) – Dec. 11, 2018– A mad rush of dozens of grade school-aged children–tailed by men and women of public safety in uniform trying gamely to catch up–filled the aisles of the Blaine Target on a busy Tuesday afternoon.
The ninth annual Heroes to Helpers event brought together more than 65 volunteers, including officers, firefighters, and EMS workers from a half-dozen Anoka County public safety agencies to help 55 kids shop for Christmas gifts.
“The best is seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces,” said Officer Michelle Ross of the Blaine Police Department, who organizes the event each year at the holidays. “They get so excited to be able to give to friends and family.”
Nine-year-old Gage Kashmark was able to buy “most” of the items on his list for others. He was pretty satisfied with the experience.
“I know what they’re getting,” he said as he wrapped the gifts alongside his police officer companion. “It’s going to make them happy. It’s going to make me happy—something about if you make other people happy, happiness comes back to you.”
Using donations from individuals and business across the county, the effort to buy $125 worth of gifts for each child is also supplemented by money to buy necessities the kids have identified as well.
“Some kids have food on the list, and we take care of all of that,” said Officer Ross.
Area schools identify kids to participate, and it brings together students from the three major Anoka County districts: Anoka-Hennepin Schools, Centennial schools, and Spring Lake Park schools.
“Some of it is not necessarily a family that’s been struggling, we think of it,” said Ross. “(It) may be a family member overseas. Maybe they recently had a death in the family. It’s more than just a financial thing.”
But Ross and others at the event also hope it introduces young people to police officers, firefighters, and EMTs in a new way to build bonds at all levels of the community.
“We’re real people, too,” she said.
