Eden Prairie Local News
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Wednesday, June 29
    • About
      • About EPLN
      • Team
      • EPLN in the News
      • Policies
    • Contact
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Subscribe
    Eden Prairie Local News
    • Home
    • Politics
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Construction
    • Sports
    • Outdoors
    • City
    • Calendar
    • Donate
    • Subscribe
    • More
      • Health
      • Spirituality
      • Community Service
      • Legacy
      • Obituaries
      • Arts
      • Family
      • Holidays
      • Letter to Editor
      • Listen
      • Jobs
    Eden Prairie Local News
    Home»Community Service»Holiday with Heroes: kids, cops, gifts, and more
    Community Service

    Holiday with Heroes: kids, cops, gifts, and more

    By Mark WeberDecember 5, 2021Updated:December 5, 20213 Mins Read
    While waiting at a Target check-out, Eden Prairie Police Det. Carter Staaf got a hug from the boy assigned to him for Saturday’s Holiday with Heroes shopping program. Photos by Mark Weber

    Police Det. Carter Staaf is breaking the ice with the boy tagging along at his side as they walk through Eden Prairie Shopping Center.

    “What’s your favorite subject in school?” he asks.

    “Play any sports?” adds Staaf.

    It’s a getting-to-know-you moment as the two participate in the Holiday with Heroes program Saturday, Dec. 4, at the mall. Police officers and firefighters from Eden Prairie departments have been paired with 13 children, ages 7-11, who were recommended for the program by a local nonprofit.

    Advertisement
    Ad for Washburn-McReavy

    On this Saturday morning the kids will “shop with a cop,” you might say, although this year firefighters are for the first time part of this annual effort to brighten the holiday for local children who otherwise might have fewer presents under the tree.

    When gifts have been bought, and all of the donated cash earmarked for each child is gone, they’ll gather at Scheels for ice cream and a ride on the Ferris wheel.

    “It’s a good time for everybody,” says Lisa Toomey, an Eden Prairie City Council member and board president for the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund, the nonprofit that has held the program for the last seven years.

    • Lisa Toomey, at right, board president for the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund, briefed officers and firefighters before Saturday’s program got underway.
    • Eden Prairie police officers and firefighters participating in this year’s shopping spree took a moment to gather for a group photo in front of J.C. Penney at Eden Prairie Center.
    • Police Det. Carter Staaf has participated in all seven shopping programs held by the Eden Prairie Crime Prevention Fund.

    The Crime Prevention Fund may be known more for providing crime-solving reward money and supporting the Eden Prairie Police Department’s canine program. But, Toomey started the shopping program in Eden Prairie after seeing it elsewhere and thinking it would not only help kids from needy families, but also help bust the stereotype of police as tough-minded law enforcers.

    “I thought it would be a great outreach program,” she said, and it’s helped along by a generous benefactor who funds the outing, which also includes a Cub gift card for the moms and dads who drop off their kids for the shopping spree.

    It can be a bit much for the youngsters. Carter and the excited boy assigned to him wind through the mall, stop at the Lids store to look at hats and other sports gear, then wander many, many of the aisles of Target.

    “It’s a lot to take in, right?” Staaf says to his shopping apprentice.

    Staaf has volunteered all seven years of the program, and is occasionally surprised by how meaningful the one- to two-hour shopping spree can be for the kids and their families. One youngster’s mom checked back with him after the program, happy to report they had landed a permanent home after living in temporary housing.

    Kids, he says, often show their big hearts by shopping for a brother, a sister, or Mom and Dad.

    On this day, his shopping spree ends abruptly when the boy decides to spend the allotment on an Xbox video-game console, literally jumping for joy at the checkout.

    And that’s good because, after all, the whole idea is to brighten someone’s Christmas.

    Mark Weber is executive director of the Eden Prairie Community Foundation. The Crime Prevention Fund has on occasion been awarded Foundation grants.

    Subscribe to EPLN for FREE!
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Previous ArticleCouncil to review apartments proposal
    Next Article EP cross country teams adjust, thrive during 2021 season

    More to READ

    3 Mins Read

    Weber honored by city for his longtime contributions to the community

    June 15, 2022
    2 Mins Read

    Stop the Trafficking 5K draws more than 1,000 runners, walkers

    June 13, 2022
    1 Min Read

    Stop the Trafficking 5K in EP on Saturday

    June 8, 2022
    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Subscribe to get EPLN in your inbox for FREE!
    Recent Articles

    EP Starbucks store pursues unionization

    June 28, 2022

    Another apartment project endorsed for approval

    June 28, 2022

    School Board hosts candidate info session

    June 27, 2022

    Charlie Mo Alleman

    June 27, 2022

    Katherine Rose Koski

    June 27, 2022
    LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

    LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are welcome.

    Send letters, which have not been published elsewhere, to editor@eplocalnews.org.

    Letters may be up to 250 words and can also include pictures. Indicate clearly that you would like to share your letter with EPLN readers.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Eden Prairie Local News is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization EIN 85-4248265 | Copyright © 2020-2022
    • About
    • Policies
    • Jobs
    • Contact
    • Advertising
    • Subscribe
    • Donate

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.