Shop with a Cop

(On left) Officer J. Sandoval and (on right) Bellaire Police Chief Byron Holloway shopping with a student from Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary School. 

Last week, The Rotary Club of Bellaire/Southwest Houston sponsored two special Christmas “Shop with a Cop” shopping trips at the Target in Meyerland Plaza for 20 students and their families from Sylvan Rodriguez Elementary School. Bellaire police officers volunteered time to accompany each student as they spent $50 donated by the Rotary club on gifts for the student’s family.

These events included time spent talking with the children about budgeting, as they had to figure out how to distribute money to spend on gifts and items for their family members. After choosing gifts for their family members, the students were surprised with an additional $50 each to spend on gifts for themselves.

Bellaire Police Chief Byron Holloway, who’s a Rotary Club member, was present along with Rodriguez Elementary School principal Elena Martinez-Buley to visit with parents while their kids shopped.

Hard at work wrapping gifts from the “Shop with a Cop” event included rotarian Ray Burgert, Don Beckner and Linda Holloway. 

One special moment of the day included a stranger asking questions about the event and spontaneously donating an additional $180 for the kids to spend.

Before the kids took the gifts home for the holidays, Bellaire Rotary Club members wrapped all of the gifts.