Funding Gap Shrinks for Bartow Shop With a Hero

Organizers with the 2014 Bartow County Shop With a Hero continue to receive a steady stream of donations for next week’s event.

The annual event is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 20 at Walmart in Cartersville. Sgt. Jonathan Rogers with the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office said organizers are closing in on the $40,000 mark.

Rogers said organizers are hoping to get as much as $50,000, which would help them also cover an additional 15 to 20 children added to the lineup at the last minute.

Shop With a Hero takes roughly 300 underprivileged children Christmas shopping with public safety figures. Children are chosen by elementary school staff in either the Bartow County School System or Cartersville City School System.

The children will start the day with a warm breakfast at the Clarence Brown Conference Center and a special visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus. After breakfast, a raffle will be held where one boy and one girl will receive a new bicycle donated by Walmart.

The children are then loaded onto school busses and given a full police/fire/EMS escort — with lights and sirens — to Walmart.

Each child is paired with a hero and is allowed to spend $150 — $100 of which goes towards clothing and the remaining $50 can be used to purchase whatever the child wants.

To make the program successful, organizers are still asking for residents to “find the joy” in their hearts and make a contribution towards the initiative.

All donations are tax deductible, and will go towards the children. The breakfast is donated by Walmart and Doug’s Place Restaurant, and all heroes participating donate their time and are not reimbursed.

If you wish to donate, contact Investigator Megan Kincer at 770-382-5050 ext. 6067 or Sgt. Rogers at 770-382-5050 ext. 6032. The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office can make arrangements to pick up any donations, if needed.

For more information, visit the event’s website.

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