Shop with a Cop event helps students build relationships with law enforcement

Harmar Officer Paul Schellinger pushed the red cart through the Target in Harmar, seemingly with no set path.

As he wound his way through a maze of shelves and tables filled with women’s clothes, his shopping partner, Riley Huss, stopped abruptly in front of a display of hair clips.

“What’s your favorite color?” Schellinger asked the 7-year-old.

“Pink,” she answered, shyly.

“Pink’s a good color,” the officer said.

And with that, the first grader from Acmetonia Elementary School picked her first gift of the day: a pink, silver and gold hair clip.

She was one of about 70 students from the school in the Allegheny Valley School District who participated in the Harmar Township Police Shop with a Cop event Saturday.

“Riley’s just in love with police officers — since she was 3 years old,” said her mom, Casey Huss, of Cheswick.

She praised the program.

“It’s nice. It gets the kids to feel more comfortable with cops. It makes them be able to trust them and know they’re there when they need them.”

And that, said Harmar Sgt. John Fechke, is exactly the reason why they do it.

“I like the idea that children can view us in a positive light, especially with the negative stigma today,” he said. “I want them to feel like, ‘If I’m in trouble, this is somebody I can go to for help.’ ”

For this year’s event, the students participating had $70 to spend.

Some of them knew exactly what they wanted — beelining to the video games or clothes. But others, meandered through the store, taking their time to find exactly the right thing.

Alyssa Bradley of Springdale bought two of her children, Joe, 7, and Paris, 6.

“They help families get good experiences with police officers,” Bradley said. “It’s teaching little kids that officers aren’t so bad.”

Joe, who talks about wanting to be an officer, picked out a toy police car, and Paris bought art supplies, a bracelet kit and hair chalk.

Some of the children participated last year, too. But because of covid-19, the officers took tables full of gifts to the school, and the kids shopped there.

This year, they wandered through all of Target. They stopped at the end for juice and pastries put out by the store.

Brandon Brown, Target’s district manager for assets protection, said the company calls it “Heroes and Helpers.”

Since 2009, Target has hosted more than 100,000 kids during the holiday season for programs like Shop with a Cop.

“It’s all about helping the community,” Brown said.

Funding for the program was provided by Springdale Energy.

Kevin Gourley, an Allegheny Valley School District police officer, was thrilled when some of his students saw him Saturday morning and shouted, “‘Officer Kevin, Officer Kevin!’”

“It means the world to them,” he said. “Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year, and I love being able to share that with these kids.”

Joshua Pawlak, 9, and his brother, Jaxon, 6, enjoyed their time shopping. Joshua bought a Bugatti remote control car and box of Pokemon cards. Jackson got a remote-control dune buggy and a sled.

“It gets them educated with the police,” said their dad, Josh Pawlak, of Springdale. “We all know that’s important.”

As one group was checking out on Saturday, they had gone over the $70 limit, which meant something was going to have to be put back.

But the shopper in line behind them wouldn’t hear of it.

Anna Marie Catanese, who taught in the Deer Lakes School District for 43 years, gave the cashier the extra $17.

“It’s all about the children,” she said. “It’s the spirit of the season. We need to take care of them.”

Officer Schellinger, who has his own children, volunteered for the event.

“My grandmother always told me growing up: ‘when you go to bed, make sure you can look back at your day and say you accomplished one thing.’

“Seeing kids smile and be happy — that’s the best joy in life.”