Shop with a Cop Cecil Township police help youngsters select gifts for Christmas
Cecil Township police officers pose with children who participated in Shop with a Cop at Walmart in South Strabane Township.
Leila Godden, 9, gets some help selecting a video from Cecil Township police Officer Adam Nida during Walmart’s Shop with a Cop event.
Cecil Township police Lt. Rich Egizio helps 8-year-old Shane Adams select a candle for his mother Saturday afternoon during a Shop with a Cop event at Walmart in Washington.
Cecil Township police Officer Keith Strain and Sarah Erbrecht do some math on their phones to determine how much money Erbrecht’s 7-year-old twin sons, Michael and Jeremy Dyczewski, have left before they leave the toy department at Walmart in South Strabane Township.
Cecil Township police Lt. Rich Egizio plots his next move with Nicole Randall and her son, Shane Adams, 8, after filling Shane’s cart with Christmas gifts for him and his family.
Armed with Christmas wish lists and cellphones Saturday afternoon, uniformed Cecil Township police officers escorted youngsters and their parents around Walmart in South Strabane Township, visiting nearly every department in an effort to spread holiday cheer to those they serve.
It was part of Shop with a Cop, the first ever held in Washington County.
And judging by the reactions of the 30 or so children – and the officers – it was a big hit.
“I’m really excited about it. I like being the philanthropist in the organization,” said Tony Dattilio, liaison of the marketing team at Walmart, which partnered with Noble Energy at Southpointe to make the shopping spree happen.
“I was just talking to a mom and her son, and he had nothing on his list for him,” said Dattilio, noting that the list contained items for his siblings and his mother. “We want to get him whatever he wants.”
That little boy would be 8-year-old Shane Adams, and sure enough, his first stop of the afternoon was to the candle department, where, with some help from Lt. Rich Egizio, Shane selected a few candles for his mom, Nicole Randall.
But by the end of the day, Shane had a cart full of Christmas gifts, including a snow sled saucer, basketball, Nerf toys and sneakers.
“It’s a great opportunity to build a relationship with the officers and children,” Cecil Township police Chief Shawn Bukovinsky said. “We want people to know we take care of our families.”
Bukovinsky said the police department approached Walmart about the shopping spree, and once Noble Energy became a sponsor, the deal was done.
The day began with lunch in Walmart’s break room. After lunch, Egizio paired the officers with the children and their parents. When Egizio told Shane that he would be shopping with him, Egizio shook Shane’s hand and said, “Hi, buddy.”
Shortly thereafter, when Egizio was mapping out the game plan, he asked Shane, “You good with that buddy?” He also told Shane and the other child that accompanied them to decide if they wanted “a lot of little things or a big thing.”
Officer Keith Strain also offered some advice – and encouragement – to his partners, 7-year-twins, Michael and Jeremy Dyczewski, and their mother, Sarah Erbrecht.
After settling on bicycles and helmets, the twins wanted to shop for more toys. Mom, however, thought she had a better idea, suggesting they head to the coat department.
“Good idea, mom,” Strain said. “Then we’ll know how much they have left.”
Erbrecht was grateful for Strain’s assistance.
“Oh yea, I’m having a great time,” said an exasperated Erbrecht, who at times was having trouble keeping up with her energetic boys. “They’re 7-year-old twins going on 16, so it’s a great help.”
After buying jackets, the boys still had enough money – much to their delight – to get skateboards as well.
Once shopping was completed, the gift-wrapping began.
When asked if this would become an annual event, Dattilio said, without hesitation, “absolutely.”
“It’s nice when you can give back,” he said. “We want to give them some interaction with the police and some hope for the future.”
Bukovinsky was happy the officers had an opportunity like this to build a relationship with the families in their community.
“We want to do whatever we can to continue this,” Bukovinsky said. “Seeing the smiles on their faces and getting to know the families means everything to us. This is very special. We feel very blessed.”