Lee County kids to team up with deputies for Shopping with the Sheriff event

DIXON – The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will team up with children from across the county Thursday, Dec. 19, for its annual Shopping with the Sheriff event.

This year’s event will provide about 50 children from economically disadvantaged families with Christmas gifts, Chief Deputy Derek Ranken said. The program pairs children ages 8 months to 18 years with deputies, dispatchers, corrections staff and other emergency personnel for a day of eating and shopping in Dixon.

Kids are chosen for the program based on a list compiled by Goodfellows of Lee County, along with referrals from schools, community organizations and deputies who encounter families in need during their daily duties.

Recommendations are gathered starting in early October, but being on the list is not a guarantee that a child will be chosen, as the program tries to rotate shoppers each year to give as many kids a chance to participate as possible, Ranken said.

Two shopping sessions will be held. The first will meet at McDonald’s in Dixon for breakfast before heading to Walmart for shopping. The second will meet in the afternoon at the Dixon High School cafeteria, where Angelo’s Pizza will provide lunch, Ranken said.

The program began 15 years ago after the sheriff’s office separated its event from the Dixon Police Department’s Shop with a Cop following four years of collaboration. Ranken said the police department covers kids in Dixon, while his department’s event provides for kids across Lee County.

Each kid gets $175 to spend, and the event costs upward of $10,000, which is paid for through fundraising events and private donations, Ranken said. Amboy Shell gas station and Johnson Oil Co. in Rock Falls recently donated $4,995 to the program.

“This year, we also hosted a new event in Amboy, glow-in-the-dark bingo,” Ranken said. “That facilitated a lot of the funds for the event. Nancy and Chuck Plock also graciously donated money for the meals.”

The sheriff’s office also receives help from Sauk Valley Community College’s Impact Program, through which students earn some of their volunteer hours by wrapping presents the children pick out, Ranken said. The program helps local students pay for their tuition by completing volunteer service hours within their community.

Donations can be made to Shopping with the Sheriff year-round by calling the sheriff’s office at 815-284-5217 during normal business hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.