Police Officers from several departments were as excited as the students during the Shop With A Cop event
By Gary Weckselblatt
Nine years ago, Quakertown Borough Police Officer Bob Lee began a community endeavor to help families in need.
The Shop With A Cop program began with 10 Quakertown Community School District students and $1,000. On Thursday night, 130 students, sponsored with $20,000 in community donations, had their holiday dreams come true. The youngsters led police officers, who were as excited as the kids, up and down the aisles of the Richland Walmart.
“We’re so happy to be able to help our community like this,” said Office Lee, a QCSD School Resource Officer. “We’re a blue-collar community, and the support has been awesome. The cops want to be here. They truly look forward to this event. It’s nice to see the police in this light.”
He said the campaign has grown so much that Quakertown Borough employees Julie Bender and Ashton Rosenberger perform much of the legwork to make the night a success. “I can’t thank them enough,” he said.
Quakertown Elementary School counselor Eileen Bruchak said students have been asking her “When is it, when is it? They’ve been so excited It’s such an amazing event for the kids, and the support from our community has been overwhelming.”
Besides Quakertown and Richland, other departments included Pennsylvania State Police, Hilltown, Pennridge, Perkasie, Springfield, Newtown, Chester and the Pennsylvania Game Warden.
Gary Weckselblatt, QCSD Director of Communications, writes about the people and the programs that impact the Quakertown Community School District. He can be reached at 215-529-2028 or [email protected].