Richfield PD Expands Heroes And Helpers Event To Reach More Children

From the City of Richfield :

December 6 2019

On Thursday, December 5, the Richfield Police Department (RPD) played the role of old Saint Nick to make 28 Richfield children and their families’ holiday season a lot more jolly through its Heroes and Helpers program.

Heroes and Helpers is a Target-sponsored initiative that takes place across the country. Local stores partner with area law enforcement agencies to help children in need to purchase gifts and necessities for their families.

“A lot of these kids and their families are struggling with really difficult situations,” said Lieutenant Brad Drayna. “For us, it is simply a chance to bring a little joy and happiness to families when they need it most.”

Since 2009, RPD’s Heroes and Helpers program have assisted more than 100 Richfield families.

This year the event sponsored 10 shopping teams who spent the evening getting to know one another, shopping at Target, wrapping presents and enjoying dinner together. Each team had one child or set of siblings, along with a police officer or state trooper, plus a community volunteer. The children were given a $200 gift card to use at Target to shop for their families.

New this year, due to generous support from Target and other local businesses, another 18 children were sponsored as secondary awardees for the event. A team of Richfield officers and volunteers hand-delivered $100 gift cards to these children at their homes.

To be eligible for the program, children had to have a significant economic need for assistance, as well as unique circumstances making this year’s holiday particularly difficult.

Having good grades and attendance in school, a helpful attitude and other positive characteristics were also taken into consideration. Teachers, school social workers, police officers or other community members, nominated children for the program.

In addition to the 13 officers participating in the program, more than 40 volunteers were involved at the event hosted at the Richfield Municipal Center. Richfield’s Mayor, Maria Regan Gonzalez came out, along with city manager Katie Rodriguez and other city staff.

“The kids are the real heroes in the Heroes and Helpers initiative,” said Mayor Maria Regan Gonzalez. “Every year it's an honor for our community to come together to help make the holidays a little brighter for dozens of children in our community. Their ability to persevere and overcome barriers and hardships in their everyday lives is truly inspiring.”

Local business owners and staff from Hennepin County’s Joint Community Police Partnership also participated.

“For a lot of these kids, their first interactions with police officers haven’t always been positive,” explained Drayna. “They might associate the police with a bad experience they have had. This event is a way to correct some of those associations and give the children a positive interaction with officers.”

This press release was produced by the City of Richfield. The views expressed here are the author’s own.