POLICE TAKE KIDS ON SHOPPING SPREE

Jessica, 7, and Cape Girardeau policeman Bill Bohnert embarked on a holiday shopping spree this week through Wal-Mart.

They were strangers when they started, but by the time they collected enough toys to occupy both of Bohnert's arms, they had established a friendship that could last beyond the holidays.

Jessica was just one of 100 underprivileged children who participated in the Shop-With-A-Cop program Thursday morning. The children are referred to the program through the Missouri Division of Family Services.

"For many of these kids, this is the only Christmas they're going to get," Bohnert said. "Even the most hard-nosed individual would be touched by something like this. Something as simple as putting a kid on a sleigh and watching them sit with Santa can leave a lasting impression. It took some work to get one little girl to smile when her picture was taken with Santa."

Wal-Mart makes the 3-year-old program possible by holding fund- raisers throughout the year. The money raised by the local Wal-Mart is matched by the Wal-Mart Foundation. This year's total came to $4,000, which represented $40 worth of toys or clothes for each needy child.

"It's good for kids to be able to establish friendly contact with a police officer," Cheryl Lomax, who coordinates the Shop-With-A-Cop program for Wal-Mart, said. "We know a lot of these kids through our daily routine," Bohnert said. "Being able to do something like this makes us feel like we're giving something back to the community."

The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, Cape Girardeau Police Department, Southeast Missouri State Department of Public Safety, Jackson Police Department, Bollinger County Sheriff's Department, Marble Hill Police Department and Cape Girardeau Juvenile officers participated in the event.

"We're all members of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 33," Kenton R. Martin, a Cape Girardeau police detective, said. "It's become a tradition that affects us all in a good way."

Like many of the police officers who shopped with a child, Bohnert dipped into his own pocket to make sure Jessica could have as many toys as she picked out.

"We've run over the $40 limit, but I don't mind putting $10 into something like this," Bohnert said. "The community gave us all bullet-proof vests, which makes us feel like we're important to them. That makes us feel good about turning around and helping out the community at a time like this."