Providing for Children in Need

The Wisconsin Dells Kops for Kids program was originally started in 1999, and collected gifts for 70 children in the Wisconsin Dells School District. Names were solicited by area police departments by working with county social services, service clubs, and teachers to ensure that we were targeting children in need. As the Wisconsin Dells area grows, so does our list. By 2003 we had helped over 150 children and distributed over $5,000 in food, clothing and toys.

The stories behind each child may be heart-breaking. Parents out of work, a recent death of a parent or sibling, homeless or displaced families, and children with little to no food or heat. Children can be nominated by law enforcement, a social worker, teacher, friend of the family or family member. Sometimes the children fill out the wish list themselves asking for a variety of things. Each year we are driven by the requests for the simple things that many of us take for granted. Some of the recent request we received from the kids themselves asked for “a winter hat”, “food for my baby sister”, or “a blanket to stay warm.” All officers and volunteers involved are deeply moved by the stories, words, and faces of the children on our list. The long hours, hard work, and literally months of planning makes it all worthwhile when we see the smiles that our efforts bring each year.