WOODINVILLE, Wash. —
On Saturday, police officers escorted a very special group of kids for the annual Shop with a Cop at Target in the city.
The program aims to help families in need and foster a positive relationship with law enforcement.
For one mom, Juana Diaz, the shopping spree was more than just making the holiday brighter for her son Marco, but it was a way to help break down his fear of cops, which stem from his family’s immigration issues.
“All the time when he see the police or hear the ambulance, he’s very scared. He says, oh mommy, the police, they gonna take you,” Juana Diaz said. “I say no, it’s not like that. The police are friendly, and only if you do something bad then yeah [they will take you].”
Crystal McGuinn, a police support officer with Bothell, escorted Marco and his mom.
“We want to show him that if he ever needs help, that he can call the police department, and they’ll be there to help him and not hurt him or his family,” McGuinn said.
That’s what prompted King County sheriff’s deputy Shaman Wicklund to help launch the program in Woodinville six years ago. He’s a school resource officer in the city.
“We had a family really in a lot of need. It took me and the deputy Callahan together and threw a bunch of money in a hat and took them Christmas shopping,” Wicklund said.
Since the program’s start, the event has been going strong with law enforcement from the region taking part.
The Woodinville firefighters’ benevolent fund helps with fundraising and there’s more business donations.
This year, “Shop with a Cop” has helped 46 families in need and 121 children.
Not only has the program grown, but so has one of the little girls in a family Wicklund first helped.
“The quote I’ve always had inside my head is, angels, do exist. When we imagine angels with the wings or whatever but they’re actually the people and so he was an angel to me,” a former participant, Valeria Cisneros said.
Cisneros has never forgotten about Wicklund’s kindness and made it a point to come back to help.
“All these kids are going through something I maybe went through or something similar. So, I want them to have a good experience,” Cisneros said.
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