Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1431263
This has been an unprec- edented era for law enforce- ment. Now more than ever, police agencies need to find ways to instill confidence and build bridges of trust — one truss at a time. Youth outreach has the potential to do that and can pay dividends in long-lasting relationships and a renewed confidence in our nation's police officers. Officers enjoy reading aloud with the students. Investing in youth and helping them achieve their full potential is key to the safety, security, and economic vibrancy of our city, state, and nation. Here's to their future. Shop with a Cop SV has allied with communities of color and low-income communities to pursue social justice, address systemic causes of poverty and dismantle inequity and racism. We also must acknowledge we all have more work to do. Shop with a Cop fosters continued mutual respect between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Through engendering trust in the community and human- izing the person behind the badge, children see police officers through a positive lens. We strive to build bridges of collaboration and strate- gically invest in education, leadership development, and capacity building program to help under-served youth reach their fullest potential. For the past 14 years, the Shop with a Cop Foundation Silicon Valley hosts over 200+ under-served children for a holiday shopping spree with local Bay Area police officers. For many of the children, this special opportunity becomes the only holiday experience they will have. Some partici- pants are selected from the Readers Are Leaders reading campaign at local elementary schools, where they "earn" their way to the shopping spree. Other children partici- pating are living in trau- matic crises from the loss of a parent, domestic violence, and other tragedies. With a uniformed police officer by their side during the shop- ping spree, each child receives a $150.00 Target gift card to shop for gifts for their family members and for themselves. The whole premise is to humanize the people behind the badge so that children can grow up trusting the police. This unique program brings the holiday spirit to children who need it most and hopes to build safer communities for our future. Our goal is to raise $50,000.00 (total budget costs) for this annual event. We have not reached our goal this season, so any monetary donation would be greatly appreciated! 100% of all donations will go to this special program. All monies stay local. To donate visit our website, http://www.shopwithacopsv. org or Venmo @SWAC-SV We are a registered 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. How Shop with a Cop Collaborates with the Community to Help Our Youth P14 BAY AREA NEWS GROUP 111 Advertising Section SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2021