It’s not every day that police officers get to be the bearers of good news, which makes the annual CopShop event so special for Halifax Regional Police (HRP). Earlier today, 50 police officers took on the role of personal shopper to local children. Armed with Christmas wish lists, the officers were paired with 50 specially chosen children as part of the 9th annual event.
Halifax Shopping Centre (HSC) and HRP joined together once again for CopShop, during which each child received a $200 gift card donated by the mall, a stocking full of goodies and a winter jacket from SportChek. This year, HSC also gave each shopping duo a $10 gift card to ‘pay it forward;’ they asked each officer and child to purchase a gift for a child the same age and then the mall is donating it to the Salvation Army Toy Drive.
“CopShop is one of the happiest days of the year because we get to give back to our community and put a smile on children’s and parents’ faces,” says Chief Jean-Michel Blais. “This event represents the true spirit of the holiday season and allows children to interact with police officers in a positive and meaningful way. We could not do this without the generous and on-going support of Halifax Shopping Centre.”
As in past years, the children chosen for CopShop were recommended by a variety of sources and were chosen because of need, recognition of specific academic or sports achievement or because of volunteer efforts that are making a difference in our community.
“We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Halifax Regional Police and every year we look forward to bringing joy to deserving children during the holiday season,” said Stephanie Guilfoyle, Marketing Director of Halifax Shopping Centre. “This is a very rewarding project for all involved, and we are delighted to have been able to increase the number of children we are helping through the purchases of gifts for a local toy drive.”
The initiative, which originated at Halifax Shopping Centre in 2005, has gone national for a sixth year with nine other 20 VIC Management centres in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario holding their own CopShop events in December. Approximately 300 children across Canada will benefit from this year’s event.
Source: Release
