BROWN COUNTY, Ohio (WKRC) - The holiday spirit is alive and well in a local community.
The annual “Shop with a Cop” event in Brown County allowed police officers and deputies from 16 departments to give dozens of children a Christmas gift that they will never forget.
One of the secret Santas is Mike Dearing (We can't show his face… he's playing the part of undercover elf!).
When he was nine, he was on the receiving end of Shop with a Cop.
"We all have moments in our life that dictate what roads and paths we take and we all have choices and because of his impact on me, 19 years ago, I made the choice to become a law enforcement officer, which in turn created this whole program in Brown County,” said Officer Mike.
After a big breakfast, the officers and their junior deputies head off to shop til’ they drop.
This year, a total of 50 kids participated in the shop with a cop event, each of them with $500 to spend on their family for Christmas. One of those kids was 10-year-old Peyton Wagner.
"I’m just shopping for my siblings and my family," said Peyton.
Shop with a Cop is extra special for him this year. He and his family lost everything when their house burned down two weeks ago in Russellville.
"Of course, it was really bad,” said Peyton. “But it's ok now.”
"Walk out of a house, with no clothes on your back, no shoes on your feet… it's pretty devastating for any kid,” said Russellville Police Chief Matt Wertz. “To see him and his brothers and how they've handled it it's pretty awesome to see."
Filling carts, filling hearts and establishing what these officers hope turns into a bond that goes well beyond the holidays.
All of the money, roughly $20,000 was raised through donations in several different communities.
After the shopping spree, the officers and children had lunch followed by a trip to the arcade and then the movie theater.
