Shop with a Cop: Dallas police, firefighters give 100 kids $100 Target shopping sprees
DALLAS - More than 100 children in Dallas got $100 and a shopping spree.
It's part of the Dallas Police Department's ‘Shop with a Cop’ program.
In Old East Dallas, police officers and firefighters are lining up to see who they’ll be pairing up with for holiday gifts.
Sgt. Daniel Russell is shopping with Lala Johnson. The 13-year-old is buying gifts for her bedroom and trying to find the right candle scent.
"I love being able to do stuff like this," Russell said. "I love being able to get out, serve, try to make things a little bit better for people."
Lala is one of 135 kids from the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center to receive a $100 Target gift card. She gets to ‘shop with a cop.’
Courtney Underwood is chairman of Safer Dallas Better Dallas. The non-profit partners with Target, the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire-Rescue to help kids from the advocacy center.
"We’re working with kids that have had things happen in their lives that no kiddo should have to face," she said.
"Who has more fun out here the kids or the officers? I would say it’s probably a tie," said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
17-year-old Destiny Rodriguez says she’s using her $100 to buy gifts not on herself but for her seven siblings.
"Because at the end of the day, that’s all you have, you know?" she said.
Destiny says her 24-year-old sister takes care of her.
"My sister, she works a lot trying to provide for everybody," she said. "And I just want to help her out because I know it’s hard, you know?"
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"You see the smile on their faces, and you see the smile on our officer’s faces and our firefighter’s faces," Garcia said.
Target’s ‘Heroes and Helpers’ event is also designed to establish trust.
"They’ll see an officer in uniform, and they’ll know that it’s safe. They’ll know that they can ask for help," Underwood said.
This holiday is difficult for Lala.
"I’d rather spend Christmas with my dad, but unfortunately he had went to jail," she said. "So it’s going to be hard for me to celebrate Christmas this year."
Shopping with Sgt. Russell is a cheerful way to find a bit of comfort, and Lala is finding the right gifts to make her bedroom complete.
"I want it to be like somewhere where I feel comfortable at," she said.
This is the second year of the event.
Target paid for 50 of those gift cards. The non-profit, Safer Dallas Better Dallas, paid for 85.