Christmas shopping with a police escort
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/12/2019 (2409 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
On Saturday morning, 20 lucky kids aged 12 to 15 got the opportunity to take part in a police-supervised shopping spree at Shoppers Mall.
This marked the second-annual Coppers Shoppers event, where members of Brandon Police Service, Brandon Crime Stoppers and the Brandon Police Association came together to help these youths get a leg up on the busy holiday season.
Just like last year, each participant received a $200 gift card and was paired up with a local police officer who could help carry their bags and provide some advice on what to buy.
After finalizing their wish list, each team was set loose upon the mall’s various retail outlets for around an hour.
Some kids were a little more prepared than others, with 12-year-old Logan Fraser having scouted out the mall’s shops ahead of time.
“Logan was awesome to shop with,” said Const. Dana McCallum, who served as Fraser’s escort. “He had a list ready. He knew who he was buying for, and so we went directly to the stores he had already scoped out.”
Others were just naturally good at this process, like Edelawit Lachapelle, who made the entire morning a breeze for her escorts.
“She’s an incredible bargain shopper,” said Doreen Alain, wife of Staff Sgt. Marc Alain. “She absolutely looked for everything that was on sale, and she was able to buy so many more things than she even expected.”
Every team eventually returned to their starting point at the mall’s business centre to wrap up their presents and enjoy a lunch courtesy of Tim Hortons.
“It’s interesting for me to see, as the day progresses, how everyone warms up to each other,” said Const. Myran Hamm, who took part in last year’s inaugural event as well. “In the morning it’s a little more quiet and people are shy, but by the end of the day we’re wrapping presents, and you’ll notice the energy in the room has increased.”
Brandon Crime Stoppers board member Greg Crisanti later told the Sun that each child was selected to participate based on his or her academic achievement and good behaviour in school.
Brandon Police Service Chief Wayne Balcaen said he and his officers had a “thrilling” time on Saturday and hopes this program keeps going well into the future.
“It’s certainly a feel-good initiative, and it makes sure that the public and the kids see a different side of the police,” he said. “It’s just a fantastic program, and I hope it continues for many, many years.”
Outside of the $200 gift card, each kid received additional gifts from local businesses and organizations, including a pair of jeans from Bootlegger, two Brandon Wheat Kings tickets, a movie admission to Landmark Cinemas and a winter jacket from Sport Chek.
» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @KyleDarbyson
