Weeks before Christmas, a Greenwood mother lost her job, leaving her unsure of how to give her son the Christmas he deserved.
Originally from Michigan, Makeisha Patrick and her son, Da’quavion, 9, moved to Greenwood last year. She lost her job a few weeks ago and while she is trying to find another one, she was concerned about giving her son a merry Christmas, she said.
“I’ve been praying,” Makeisha Patrick said. “Every year I try make sure we have a good Christmas.”
Then she learned of Shop with a Cop, the Johnson County Fraternal Order of Police’s annual holiday event that gives children in need the opportunity to shop with police officers for Christmas. She signed Da’quavion up for the tradition, and he was able to take part in it Saturday at the Meijer located off of State Road 135 in Greenwood.
More than 35 kids were paired up with about 58 law enforcement officers from the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office and police departments in Bargersville, Franklin, Greenwood and Trafalgar for this year’s Shop with a Cop. This year also marks the first year where the event went “back to normal” by having everyone shop at once instead of in separate groups. The separation into groups was because of COVID-19 restrictions, said Evan Preston, a sheriff’s deputy and county FOP secretary.
Da’quavion Patrick was paired with Major Andy Fisher, a deputy from the sheriff’s office. Together the pair, along with Makeisha, scoured the store for the items Da’quavion wanted for Christmas.
First they grabbed Da’quavion a new sweatshirt and sweatpants, followed by shoes. By the time the shopping trip was done 30 minutes later, the cart also had a Spiderman PlayStation 5 game, a gift card for 13,500 V-bucks for Fortnite, a radio-controlled car and a Fortnite NERF gun.
The cart also held the item Da’quavion Patrick was most excited about.
“The camouflage (PlayStation 5) controller,” he said.
Fisher has taken part in Shop with a Cop for several years, and was surprised that Da’quavion wanted clothes first, he said.
“Usually, (kids) want to go straight to the games or toys,” Fisher said. “He actually wanted some clothing items first and wanted to do that. That probably surprised me the most, which was awesome.”
For both Da’quavion Patrick and his mother, their favorite part was that he was able to shop with Fisher. Da’quavion wants to be a police officer when he’s older — maybe for the SWAT Team — and this was a cool opportunity for him to be with law enforcement officers, they said.
“It’s something that he wants to do, so he’ll be able to do this when he gets older. He’ll be giving back to the community,” Makeisha Patrick said.
She feels blessed that her son was able to take part, and the FOP made Christmas a little easier for her.
“He got the opportunity to get what he actually wants, and it helped me out as well,” she said. “… I’ll get excited for him because it’s a good opportunity to have. Not every kid’s going to get that.”
Fisher’s favorite part of shopping with Da’quavion was seeing the smile on his face and his excitement for being around police officers, he said. After shopping, Fisher gave him an opportunity to sit in a patrol vehicle with its lights on.
“He got to see the K9 officer and his dog, and talk about coming down and visiting us sometime with his mom,” Fisher said.
Kids today are growing up in a world where a lot more people do not like police officers, and it’s nice to be able to show kids law enforcement in a positive way, Fisher said.
As one of the lead organizers of the event, Preston doesn’t get to go with the kids as they shop with officers. But that doesn’t mean he misses out on all the fun, as his favorite part is watching kids’ eyes light up as they check out at the front of the store, he said.
“I had one kid I just spoke with a little bit ago and he was so excited to show me all his toys in his cart,” Preston said. “That’s my favorite part. That’s why I like to stand up here.”
Preston also enjoys seeing the officers happy. Many of the officers are up early, while others are tired after working the night shift. Despite this, they show up and are more than happy to take part, he said.
The event is made possible by donations the FOP receives. Each year, they typically get between $4,000-$8,000 in donations for Shop With a Cop, Preston said. One woman even donated while the event was ongoing Saturday.
Those who are interested in donating to Shop with a Cop have two ways to do so. Checks can be mailed and made out to Johnson County FOP Lodge 154, PO Box 641, Franklin, IN 46131.
Checks or cash can also be dropped off at the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, 1091 Hospital Road, Franklin. A note should be left that says ATTN: Evan Preston and Shop with a Cop.
