Lorain Police, children shop till they drop at annual event

LORAIN — Sincere Thomas held tight to his grandfather's coat while the pair walked the toy aisles. The 1-year-old's grandfather, Jesse Harris, held him up while Lorain Police Auxiliary Officer Laith Dweik tried to help Sincere pick out toys. Sincere's grandmother, Mary Lou Davila, pushed the shopping cart for whatever the young boy picked out Saturday morning, while other children and police officers crowded the aisles to make their own choices. "I think it's great," Davila said of Saturday's event. "It's a lot of help, especially with a fixed income. … This is taking a lot of burden off of us." For the past 15 years, Lorain police officers have spent a Saturday in December scouring toy and electronic aisles, picking out coats, shoes or winter clothes and piling carts with stuffed animals and Hot Wheels for its annual Cops and Kids event. Organizers Sgt. Kyle Gelenius and now-retired Officer Miguel Baez said more than 30 officers from the Lorain Police Department, its auxiliary, municipal court and other city employees volunteered their time to help about 120 children and their families shop on Saturday. Children participating in the program are chosen from applications received by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3, with each child given a not-so-strict budget of $130 each to shop during the event. Officers bought at least one child a bicycle on Saturday, Baez said. Others picked out things they needed, like food or items they may not normally be able to afford. The goal is to help ease the stress of the holidays for families in need, or those who may have suffered losses during the year, he said. "This is just a great program," Baez said. "... All we're trying to do is make sure we put smiles on the kid's faces." The Cops and Kids program collects donations throughout the year to fund each participant's spree — with donations coming from businesses, churches, the FOP, VFW, and the Fraternal Order of Police Associates and other charities. This year it raised more than $15,000. Gelenius, whose job Saturday was to pay for each child's purchases at the end of their trip, said he looks forward to the event every year, and is always struck by how some of the participants spend their money. For the teens, they may put their funds toward cologne or personal care items, gifts for family or their significant other. "It's really special to them," he said. And just as special is the community that makes it happen, Gelenius said. "It's another opportunity to connect to the community without the police involvement in circumstances that may not be the best," he said. "... We're all human beings and everyone has a story." Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.