Dec. 23—ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP — More than 50 children in custody of Ashtabula County Children Services were treated to a shopping trip Saturday morning through the efforts of local police.
The event has been happening for more than 30 years, and is a way for the police to give back to the community.
Steve Febel, former Jefferson police chief, is the president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 114, which has been organizing the event for many years.
“Skip Eller was the one who spearheaded this and he trained me. I do it in his honor,” Febel said while watching families check out after shopping for the children.
He said the money is raised through promotional flyers sent out in September, sponsors and many long-term faithful donors.
“I have a couple of donors who are really generous,” Febel said.
The lodge includes members from many law enforcement agencies throughout the county and a few departments assist that aren’t even members, Febel said.
Ashtabula County Children Services Executive Director Tania Burnett said there were more than 50 children invited to the event.
“It is good to see them interact with the police,” she said.
Burnett said the agency is presently responsible for 130 children, and those who aren’t connected with a Shop with a Cop program are assisted by families and businesses throughout the county.
Erica Smith said she really appreciates the program, which assists her family.
“It gives them a good interaction with police,” she said.
She said the children had some bad experiences with police earlier in their lives.
The financial burden lifted by the program is very helpful for her family, Smith said.
“It is hard at Christmas. It means a lot,” she said while the children were looking for toys while standing in a shopping cart.
Febel said the officers and their families came from the Ashtabula County Sheriff’s Department, the Jefferson, Ashtabula, Geneva-on-the-Lake and Geneva police departments and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Each family was partnered with an officer or other volunteer to keep track of the purchases as they prepared to pay with gift cards purchased by the lodge.
Febel said he enjoys the camaraderie with the other officers, and assisting the families. He said he is still active as range officer when members of law enforcement need to meet their shooting requirements annually.
The fun didn’t end with the shopping trip, however. “We have pizza and pop at the mall community room,” Febel said.