Nappanee Police Officer Dave Evlund helps Xavier Ray, 7, choose a cookie following the Wa-Nee Wishes Christmas shopping trip.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

NAPPANEE — Anyone pulling into the parking lot of The Blue Teal in Wakarusa Monday, Dec. 12, might have gotten the wrong impression about what was going on there that evening. Filling numerous parking spots were police vehicles from both Nappanee and Wakarusa, with their drivers in full uniform inside the banquet venue.

The officers were there to brighten the season for children representing Nappanee, Wakarusa and Woodview elementary schools. It was part of the inaugural Wa-Nee Wishes program which allowed the students to go shopping with one of the officers for Christmas gifts for their family.

Woodview Elementary School Resource Officer James Baumgartner helps Jayce Walter pick out gifts for his family. Photo provided by Kris Hershberger.

The evening began with a pizza party at The Blue Teal, with the food donated by Bourbon Street Pizza in Nappanee. The use of the venue was donated by Nelson’s Catering in Wakarusa.

A total of 20 kids were thoughtfully hand-selected by each school’s resource officer in consultation with their respective guidance counselors. Each child was then paired with an officer from one of the two departments for an evening of food, fellowship and shopping.

After dinner, everyone boarded one of two buses donated for the evening by Berea Transport in Nappanee. They headed south, led by a police escort, to Walmart in Warsaw.

Each child was afforded $150 to purchase items. While the children were able to purchase items for themselves, many of them bought gifts for others. According to Officer Kris Hershberger, SRO at NorthWood High School, the officers were able to discreetly go over that amount for necessary items, such as shoes and clothing items for themselves.

In the end, the total bill for the shopping spree rang in at around $4,400. That money came from donations from corporations, businesses and individuals in the Wa-Nee community. Additionally, each family represented was given a $100 grocery gift card.

Following the shopping, the buses returned to Wakarusa for cookies. Wives of some of the officers were there to wrap any gifts purchased by the children.

“For years, we worked in collaboration with Goshen Police Department for their ‘Cops and Kids’ program,” said Hershberger. “Fast forward to me getting promoted to overseeing the (Nappanee Police Department’s) services division, which includes the school resource officers and public relations. It got my gears turning. I thought ‘I bet if we brought this to Wa-Nee, we wouldn’t have any problem raising money, and if it was just Nappanee and Wakarusa police departments doing it, we’ll probably see more of our guys participate.”

Hershberger ran his thoughts by colleague Cody Ong and NPD Police Chief Steve Rulli. They contacted Wakarusa Town Marshal Tim Hershberger, who was immediately on board.

A letter explaining the vision of the program was sent it out to local businesses and potential donors, more than 30 of whom committed their financial support.

“This is just one event that we’re going to do,” said Hershberger. “If it wasn’t for our donors we wouldn’t be able to do this.”

The ultimate goal is to have a fund, overseen by the school resource officers, that can be discretionarily used for families who find themselves in an unexpected financial bind.

“If there’s a need out there, we’re going to help take care of it,” said Hershberger. “I don’t want people to think this is just a Christmastime thing. We want this to be a running fund that people can donate to any time. It will be a fund we use for different needs in the community. The sky is the limit, honestly.”

He added the program also helps bridge the gap between the students and police officers.

“If they had a rough outlook on law enforcement, this is an opportunity to show them that we’re just normal people,” he said. “It’s also good to show officers who might not work with kids every day that there may be more to that kid’s behavior. The officers can learn from the kids, and the kids can learn from the officers.”

Officers with the Wakarusa Police Department joined their Nappanee colleagues to enjoy a pizza dinner and shop with Wa-Nee school children Monday, Dec. 12. WPD officers pictured around the table are Tim Hershberger, Chay Bailey, Eric Lechlitner and Dave Stump.

Paula Hershberger, left, wraps a gift that was selected by Leslie Mullins.

Two buses, donated by Berea Transport, shuttled kids between The Blue Teal in Wakarusa and Walmart in Warsaw.