LAURINBURG — More than 20 local children dispersed through the aisles of Walmart during the third annual Shop with a Sheriff’s Deputy.
There were 23 children from elementary to middle school age who were given $100 to spend on whatever they wanted for Christmas. The Scotland County Sheriff’s Office works with school resource officers as well as teachers and principals at schools in the county to select the children.
The children were accompanied by a parent as well as a sheriff’s deputy. Some of the children went for clothes, others for art supplies and some went straight for the toy section.
Jamila Morrison’s 5-year-old daughter Naomi Grace wandered the toy aisles touching just about everything that piqued her interest.
For Morrison, she was glad that she was able to have the opportunity for her daughter to pick out toys.
“It’s a beautiful thing — I’m glad that my daughter is able to participate in a community program,” Morrison said. “It helps young children and parents like me. I’m a single parent so it helps. It’s my first time and I’m glad we were able to have the opportunity.”
Morrison also said she was happy to be joined in the shopping by Sheriff’s Deputy Ronald Locklear, who was given cart duty as Naomi wondered through the toy aisles adding items to the cart when they caught her attention and even giving an impromptu show off her hula hooping skills.
Sheriff Ralph Kersey hopes that by holding events it will show the children that the deputies as mentors or friends that are there to help them and maybe even inspiring one of them to be a future sheriff.
“It was a great success; we all had a great time,” Kersey said. “I think the officers enjoy it more than the kids do.”
Kersey said through the program he’s seen some incredible and touching incidents with the children.
“What’s amazing and emotional is that when you bring a child and give them $100 to go shopping and when they go to check out everything is for their brother or their sister or their mom or dad,” Kersey said. “We’ve had that happened several times, the child looked at another family members needs before they did their own.”
For the program, Kersey hopes to continue working and growing it to help as many children in Scotland County as he can but he is extremely grateful for those who have donated and helped make the event possible.
“We try to help as many as we can with the donations that we receive from business owners and citizens from the county and we’re thankful for their donations,” Kersey said. “I wish we could do more for them and I hope as we move forward with this program we’re able to help more children each year. It’s a great thing to be able to bring a smile to their face.”
