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After a year of inaction, the Shop with a Cop program has been resurrected and reinforced by Bill Staggs, the General Manager of Ball Pipe & Supply Incorporated in Shawnee.
Ball Pipe & Supply, buys scrap iron and metal and other metals, but on Saturday, Dec. 3 the company will, which is not usually open Saturdays, will open up to take scrape metal donations so individuals can bring in any scrap metal waste and donate the proceeds to the Shop with a Cop program.
“It gives the community a way participate and at the same time get rid of unwanted items around the house,” Staggs said.
Ball Pipe & Supply will accept old and unwanted items like washers and dryers and aluminum cans, Staggs said.
The Shop with a Cop program is a charity that provides needy children with Wal-Mart gift cards and also pairs each kid with a police officer who will go Christmas shopping.
The program was started two years ago by the Shawnee Leadership Class under the City Chamber of Commerce. But the program went dormant in 2010. Staggs learned about the Shop with a Cop event in Oklahoma City through the Oklahoma Recyclers Association and became interested in rebooting the event in Shawnee.
“We just thought that it was Š very fulfilling and we thought that we would try to get it going again in the Shawnee area,” Staggs said.
The program is great because it provides needy children with money to buy themselves Christmas gifts that they may not otherwise get, Police Chief Russell Frantz said. The even also shows the kids a side of cops that they may not be aware of.
“We are just their to help them shop and give guidance,” Frantz said. “It’s a good way to show that we’re actually the good guys and try to build a relationship with the kids.”
Frantz also said many of the kids end up spending more than what is donated because they think of people other than themselves.
“It’s really touching because most of the kids weren’t buying for themselves — they’re buying for their brothers or their sisters or grandmothers,” Frantz said. “It shows them that we’re people too and we care about them.”
Often times the cops will pay money out of pocket if the kids spend more money than they have from the program, Staggs said.
There are currently 16 children for the program from the Family Promise in Shawnee, but the children selection is left up to local non-profit organizations and more kids will be able to join the program, Staggs said.
He hopes to raise at least $100 per child.
Tim Burg, the director of the Shawnee Economic Development Foundation, was instrumental in getting the program restarted, Staggs said.
Law enforcement officers from other agencies will be invited to shop with the kids sometime before the Christmas holiday, Frantz said.
There is not yet a date set for the shopping event, but the Ball Pipe & Supply Donations will start at 8 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. on Dec. 3. State law requires proof of ownership on certain items.
Call Ball Pipe & Supply with any questions at 275-5006.
After a year of inaction, the Shop with a Cop program has been resurrected and reinforced by Bill Staggs, the General Manager of Ball Pipe & Supply Incorporated in Shawnee.
Ball Pipe & Supply, buys scrap iron and metal and other metals, but on Saturday, Dec. 3 the company will, which is not usually open Saturdays, will open up to take scrape metal donations so individuals can bring in any scrap metal waste and donate the proceeds to the Shop with a Cop program.
“It gives the community a way participate and at the same time get rid of unwanted items around the house,” Staggs said.
Ball Pipe & Supply will accept old and unwanted items like washers and dryers and aluminum cans, Staggs said.
The Shop with a Cop program is a charity that provides needy children with Wal-Mart gift cards and also pairs each kid with a police officer who will go Christmas shopping.
The program was started two years ago by the Shawnee Leadership Class under the City Chamber of Commerce. But the program went dormant in 2010. Staggs learned about the Shop with a Cop event in Oklahoma City through the Oklahoma Recyclers Association and became interested in rebooting the event in Shawnee.
“We just thought that it was Š very fulfilling and we thought that we would try to get it going again in the Shawnee area,” Staggs said.
The program is great because it provides needy children with money to buy themselves Christmas gifts that they may not otherwise get, Police Chief Russell Frantz said. The even also shows the kids a side of cops that they may not be aware of.
“We are just their to help them shop and give guidance,” Frantz said. “It’s a good way to show that we’re actually the good guys and try to build a relationship with the kids.”
Frantz also said many of the kids end up spending more than what is donated because they think of people other than themselves.
“It’s really touching because most of the kids weren’t buying for themselves — they’re buying for their brothers or their sisters or grandmothers,” Frantz said. “It shows them that we’re people too and we care about them.”
Often times the cops will pay money out of pocket if the kids spend more money than they have from the program, Staggs said.
There are currently 16 children for the program from the Family Promise in Shawnee, but the children selection is left up to local non-profit organizations and more kids will be able to join the program, Staggs said.
He hopes to raise at least $100 per child.
Tim Burg, the director of the Shawnee Economic Development Foundation, was instrumental in getting the program restarted, Staggs said.
Law enforcement officers from other agencies will be invited to shop with the kids sometime before the Christmas holiday, Frantz said.
There is not yet a date set for the shopping event, but the Ball Pipe & Supply Donations will start at 8 a.m. and end at 2 p.m. on Dec. 3. State law requires proof of ownership on certain items.
Call Ball Pipe & Supply with any questions at 275-5006.
