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Southern Wisconsin Law Enforcement Training Consortium Serving Dane County's Law Enforcement Agencies |
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Programs
REACH A CHILD
On November 8th, 2007 at the monthly meeting of the Dane County Chief of Police Association we had an opportunity to hear about a new Non-Profit Corporation’s program called "With Wings and a Halo - R.E.A.C.H. a Child!” ( R.E.A.C.H. stands for Reading Enjoyment Affects Childhood Happiness!) We enjoyed a presentation by its' Executive Director, Paul S. Gilbertson, and a volunteer with their program, Lory Goetsch, a local Author from Waunakee.
The two of them explained to us the goals of their organization, which were basically... "To bring a smile to the face of a child in the time of need!" Their method to achieve this is through donating Children's Books to children in a crisis situation. The Organization asked for our help in distributing the Children's Books to these very children in need. It is no secret that emergency responders deal with crisis situations every day and unfortunately, children are often impacted by these events. Their hope was to place a "B.A.C.K. Packet" of books into every squad car and emergency vehicle in Dane County! This would allow first responders the ability to provide children with a new book, each time they came in contact with a situation where a child would benefit. Our response was an overwhelming, "When can we get started?" voiced by everyone in the room.
After their presentation, there was an immediate motion made to accept the proposal set forth by With Wings and a Halo - R.E.A.C.H. a Child. There was then an immediate “so moved” and “seconds” by several members at large. When asked for a vote of “all in favor,” a response followed with a chorus of "I's"... and no opposition!
Both Paul and Lory announced that they would be able to launch this "Test Pilot" program as soon as the second week in December. That would give them the necessary time to put all of the books and packets together for the over 350 squad cars and ambulance vehicles involved. Each Packet would consist of 10-12 Children's Books with a variety of topics for ages infant to twelve years. That meant that they would be supplying between 3,500 and 4,000 Children's Books to the children in Dane County and the immediate surrounding area in time for the upcoming Holidays!
When asked if they would have any difficulty coming up with this many books, and perhaps, on a monthly basis... they looked at one another and commented, "We have our work cut out for us, but we will make it happen!" In Paul's words, " We feel confident that there are people in the Dane County area and throughout the country that are willing and able to help financially with a worthwhile cause such as this!"
The Dane County Chief’s of Police Association strongly supports this initiative as it allows Law Enforcement Officers the opportunity to positively engage the children we encounter every day. Providing books to children under stress or in crisis is a win-win situation, as it provides a welcomed distraction while encouraging reading and further exploration of a child’s imagination.
Click here to get the order form for more books
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