Some Vermilion County children will be warm this winter thanks to the Danville Police Association and Kohl’s. Several off-duty Danville Police officers teamed up with needy children from elementary schools across the county Saturday for a free shopping trip.
Phillip Wilson, a detective on the Danville Police force, says the focus is on what the children need. ‘’We try to get coats, hats, gloves for the winter. They may need blue jeans. The girl I’m shopping with this morning needed a school uniform, so we’re buying that for them,’’ said Wilson. ‘’We buy $100 worth of clothing for them, and then Kohl’s actually gives us an additional 30-percent off because we’re a charitable association we’re tax free. So we’re able to actually buy a lot of clothing and shoes and stuff for the children.’’
Some parents who were on hand said they appreciate what the officers are doing. Detective Wilson says the officers look forward to the event each year. ‘’It’s really nice because we’re actually getting to see kids in a good light. We don’t always see them in a good light,’’ said Wilson during an interview with VermilionCountyFirst.com News. ‘’Sometimes officers are dispatched to maybe a domestic where their parents are fighting, or we’re responding to other calls that they might now want to see us there. And today they’re actually going to see us where we’re doing something for them. And they’re getting to interact with the officers and joke around and have a good time,’’ added Wilson.
Jason Dunavan is the secretary of Danville Police Association Unit 11. He notes the officers also do other things throughout the year. ‘’Our Unit basically puts on the Finest vs. Bravest Softball event with us and the firefighters. We have a Christmas food basket program for needy families. We also provide a full turkey dinner for five senior residences throughout the month of December. And then the last couple of years we’ve done a Christmas cash give-away where we just randomly pull over motorists who aren’t doing anything wrong. Actually, they’re doing things right, and we present them with a $100 bill.’’
Elementary school leaders from across Vermilion County select the children who participate in the program.
