Community comes together as Brown County children enjoy annual ‘Shop With A Cop’ trip
Lead Summary
By
Caitlin Forsha-crforsha@gmail.com
Forty Brown County children were treated to a 14-hour trip filled with shopping, food, movies and lots of fun on Tuesday with Brown County law enforcement officers for their annual “Shop With A Cop” event.
According to Mount Orab police chief Bryan Mount, this year’s event included 40 law enforcement officers from all Brown County villages and towns, Lake Waynoka, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Veterans Home police officers.
“Every agency from Brown County participated,” Mount said.
Students from all over Brown County are nominated for the program by their respective schools. Each student is paired with a police officer and a chaperone.
“The chaperones are local people from our hospital, schools, wives, girlfriends,” Mount said. “Anyone who wants to come and participate and lets us know ahead of time can be a chaperone.”
According to Mount, the students’ day began early Tuesday morning, with officers picking up students as early as 6:30 a.m. to meet at the Mount Orab police department for a briefing.
At 7:30 a.m., they leave for their first stop: breakfast at the Country Inn restaurant in Mount Orab. All 40 children, 40 police officers and 40 chaperones are treated to a free breakfast buffet donated by the David Restaurant Group, owners of the restaurant.
As they leave the restaurant, the officers driving the line of 40 patrol cars turn on their sirens as they head to Hillsboro for Christmas shopping.
“When we leave Mount Orab in the morning, we turn on all the sirens,” Mount said. “It becomes an advertising tool. As soon as people in the community see it, they know it’s Shop With A Cop day, and then people start calling in and wanting to donate.
“This event is possible because of donations from people in the community. No tax dollars, except for fuel and patrol cars, are used, and all the officers donate their time.”
The students’ next stop is the Hillsboro Walmart, where they pick out Christmas gifts. Mount said that this year, over $25,000 was spent at the store, including money from the Brown County officers and several participating officers and students from the Hillsboro Police Department.
“Walmart hit it out of the park,” Mount said. “I can’t say enough about how well they take care of us.”
After enjoying a complimentary lunch at the Hillsboro Dakota’s restaurant, the students enjoy another fun activity as they play arcade games and watch a movie at Star Cinemas.
“They donate a movie, and they donate popcorn, pop and candy,” Mount said. “We give each child $10 worth of quarters to play games with their chaperones, so the officers get to interact with the children.”
The evening concludes with a trip back to Mount Orab – with sirens on – to the school cafeteria, where the students enjoy wrapping their gifts and eating pizza from LaRosa’s.
“All the tables are set up with tape and wrapping paper, and all 40 officers carry all the gifts in with the kids,” Mount said. “We invite the community to come in — teachers, nurses, administrators and people who can’t afford to make a donation but want to do something. They show up and help us wrap all those gifts.”
Mount said that on Tuesday night, the wrapping finished around 8 p.m., so most of the kids had a 14-hour day of activities.
“The kids and the officers are all exhausted,” Mount said. “When we finally arrive back safely, I truly breathe a sigh of relief that it has been a wonderful day.”
While the activities finished for the students on Tuesday night, the law enforcement officers’ work is not done, as they will be volunteering their time again this weekend to deliver the gifts purchased on Tuesday.
“On Christmas Eve, we take all of the gifts and a meal from Kroger to the families,” Mount said. “If the shopping doesn’t get to your heartstrings, I promise you, when you walk up and hand the gifts to the child and the meal to the parents, it’s truly exciting.”
Mount thanked all of the volunteers, including the officers and chaperones, for their help “behind the scenes,” he said. Brown County prosecutor-elect Zac Corbin surprised the students by showing up “in an elf outfit,” Mount said, and they had help from other local officials during the wrapping party.
“Nick Owens, now one of our state school board members and an assistant prosecutor, helped us wrap gifts,” Mount said. “Jim Frazier, the superintendent of the Brown County Educational Service Center, came with his family. We had a lot of help.
“It was an outstanding day. The kids were just thrilled.”
According to Mount Orab police chief Bryan Mount, this year’s event included 40 law enforcement officers from all Brown County villages and towns, Lake Waynoka, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio Veterans Home police officers.
“Every agency from Brown County participated,” Mount said.
Students from all over Brown County are nominated for the program by their respective schools. Each student is paired with a police officer and a chaperone.
“The chaperones are local people from our hospital, schools, wives, girlfriends,” Mount said. “Anyone who wants to come and participate and lets us know ahead of time can be a chaperone.”
According to Mount, the students’ day began early Tuesday morning, with officers picking up students as early as 6:30 a.m. to meet at the Mount Orab police department for a briefing.
At 7:30 a.m., they leave for their first stop: breakfast at the Country Inn restaurant in Mount Orab. All 40 children, 40 police officers and 40 chaperones are treated to a free breakfast buffet donated by the David Restaurant Group, owners of the restaurant.
As they leave the restaurant, the officers driving the line of 40 patrol cars turn on their sirens as they head to Hillsboro for Christmas shopping.
“When we leave Mount Orab in the morning, we turn on all the sirens,” Mount said. “It becomes an advertising tool. As soon as people in the community see it, they know it’s Shop With A Cop day, and then people start calling in and wanting to donate.
“This event is possible because of donations from people in the community. No tax dollars, except for fuel and patrol cars, are used, and all the officers donate their time.”
The students’ next stop is the Hillsboro Walmart, where they pick out Christmas gifts. Mount said that this year, over $25,000 was spent at the store, including money from the Brown County officers and several participating officers and students from the Hillsboro Police Department.
“Walmart hit it out of the park,” Mount said. “I can’t say enough about how well they take care of us.”
After enjoying a complimentary lunch at the Hillsboro Dakota’s restaurant, the students enjoy another fun activity as they play arcade games and watch a movie at Star Cinemas.
“They donate a movie, and they donate popcorn, pop and candy,” Mount said. “We give each child $10 worth of quarters to play games with their chaperones, so the officers get to interact with the children.”
The evening concludes with a trip back to Mount Orab – with sirens on – to the school cafeteria, where the students enjoy wrapping their gifts and eating pizza from LaRosa’s.
“All the tables are set up with tape and wrapping paper, and all 40 officers carry all the gifts in with the kids,” Mount said. “We invite the community to come in — teachers, nurses, administrators and people who can’t afford to make a donation but want to do something. They show up and help us wrap all those gifts.”
Mount said that on Tuesday night, the wrapping finished around 8 p.m., so most of the kids had a 14-hour day of activities.
“The kids and the officers are all exhausted,” Mount said. “When we finally arrive back safely, I truly breathe a sigh of relief that it has been a wonderful day.”
While the activities finished for the students on Tuesday night, the law enforcement officers’ work is not done, as they will be volunteering their time again this weekend to deliver the gifts purchased on Tuesday.
“On Christmas Eve, we take all of the gifts and a meal from Kroger to the families,” Mount said. “If the shopping doesn’t get to your heartstrings, I promise you, when you walk up and hand the gifts to the child and the meal to the parents, it’s truly exciting.”
Mount thanked all of the volunteers, including the officers and chaperones, for their help “behind the scenes,” he said. Brown County prosecutor-elect Zac Corbin surprised the students by showing up “in an elf outfit,” Mount said, and they had help from other local officials during the wrapping party.
“Nick Owens, now one of our state school board members and an assistant prosecutor, helped us wrap gifts,” Mount said. “Jim Frazier, the superintendent of the Brown County Educational Service Center, came with his family. We had a lot of help.
“It was an outstanding day. The kids were just thrilled.”