South Coast Times

 Roseburg Police Officers and other local law enforcement “elves” helped kids “Shop with a Cop” during a December holiday shopping spree funded by a family and a nonprofit whose Roseburg roots stretch back more than 20 years and have ties to Pete’s Drive-In and Roseburg Forest Products.

Police, parole and probation officers and dispatchers joined forces with Santa Claus, City Councilor Andrea Zielinski, nonprofit Christmas for Kids of Douglas County, a local family and Walmart to hold the annual event.

Roseburg Police Chief Gary Klopfenstein, Sgt. Daniel Allen and Capt. Jeremy Sanders plus 27 other law enforcement personnel took 27 underprivileged foster children shopping to buy holiday presents for their families at Walmart in Roseburg. Law enforcement officers came from Roseburg Police, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Community Corrections, Oregon State Police, Cow Creek Tribal Police, Winston and Myrtle Creek Police departments, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

The holiday event on Saturday, Dec. 3, was organized by Sgt. Allen and Andrea Zielinski, who is a Roseburg City Councilor and the human resources manager at FCC Furniture. Sgt. Allen thanked all the officers and other volunteers who helped make Christmas special for so many children. The event is a great opportunity for officers to have a positive impact on the kids and each other, he said.

“It’s our biggest event -- the one our officers keep coming back to,” he added. “The goal is to not only help these children have a good Christmas, but to also give them a positive experience with law enforcement.”

This year, “Shop with a Cop” was funded with a $2,500 donation from Christmas for Kids of Douglas County plus a $2,500 donation from the Trinchero family. Walmart donated wrapping paper, tape, scissors and snacks. The event gave kids a chance to shop for their families with a member of law enforcement. Dominick Ciraulo, 10, paired up with Sgt. Allen, while Dominick’s cousin, Kyler Girard, shopped with Roseburg Police Chief Klopfenstein and daughter Kaela, 16.

Some kids seemed nervous or impatient as they waited in line to meet Santa and get their photo taken with him. Dominick asked Sgt. Allen, “Am I gonna get coal?”

The officer and the boy were handed a $100 gift card. Once Dominick understood they were shopping for his family, he wasted no time in picking just the right gift for his sister, mom, dad, big brother and little brother. He was such a fast, smart shopper, he had money left over to buy gifts for an aunt, uncle and cousin. The shopping cart soon filled with tools, a gingerbread man mug, jewelry, a Barbie doll playset, football and a big stuffed dog.

As he shuffled through the aisles in too-big, summer-weight shoes, Dominick shared that he wants to be a football player and drive either a Bugatti or BMW i8 hybrid sports car when he grows up. Sgt. Allen encouraged him to study and work hard to try to reach his dreams.

After shopping for Dominick’s family, Sgt. Allen asked the boy to choose something for himself and then bought him a red and black watch and Tony Hawk “Crown Hawk” skateboard. Dominick also got new running shoes that he put on before going once more to see Santa, who provided each child with gifts including a stocking full of goodies.

The officer wrapped most of the boy’s presents for his family. They walked through the store together and Dominick asked Sgt. Allen for a hug before they said goodbye.

Former Kmart store manager Dane Zahner, his husband Bill Romo, and Oregon Department of Human Services caseworker Cindy Corrie all helped Zielinski during the event.

“This is a great day – to see the interactions of the kids with the officers,” Zahner said. “It’s just compelling to see that quick little relationship building – just the smiles on their faces.”

For years, the event had been held just before Christmas at Roseburg’s Kmart and was fully funded by Kmart employees until the store closed in 2017. About six years ago, the event became primarily funded by Christmas for Kids of Douglas County, a nonprofit that grew from a 16-year-old waitress’ desire to help two little boys more than 20 years ago. Amy Newport was working at Pete’s Drive-in on West Harvard Avenue one summer when two small boys started showing up regularly to buy a milkshake together. They never had enough money, so Newport made up the difference from spare change in her tip jar, said Christmas for Kids of Douglas County Chairman Dale Pritchett.

As summer went on, she noticed the boys always wore the same clothes and shoes. When school started, Newport followed the boys home to meet their parents. She asked the couple if she could help the boys have Christmas. The parents agreed. Newport set out a Christmas fund collection jar at Pete’s for them, Pritchett said.

The next year, she put out jars all over town and raised enough money to buy Christmas presents for 10 kids whose names she got from a local agency. After turning 18 the following year, Newport got a job with Roseburg Forest Products. As Christmas neared, Newport asked a foreman if the company might allow her to set out collection jars. Instead, the foreman suggested setting up an option for payroll deductions. They raised enough money to buy presents for about 150 kids that year.

Soon after, Newport and the foreman talked about the Christmas fundraising effort with Roseburg Forest Products founder Kenneth “Pappy” Ford. He suggested setting up a way for people to donate monthly and offered to match donated funds. By the next year, the fund was able to buy Christmas presents for about 350 children, Pritchett said.

From that, Christmas for Kids of Douglas County was born. Roseburg Forest Products and its employees are still some of their major supporters, along with about 12 local businesses, a lumber and sawmill workers’ union, the Roseburg Optimist Club, Sunrise Enterprises and Greater Douglas United Way.

Newport has since gotten married and moved to Eugene. But her attempt to help two small boys one long-ago Christmas grew into a nonprofit that provided Christmas gifts to about 1,200 local children in 2021.

To donate, email info@c4kdc.org or call 541-680-5365 or 541-430-3453. For more information, check out the nonprofit’s website at https://christmasforkidsofdouglascounty.org.

Original source can be found here