News

Students will 'shop with a cop' this week

By Henderson County schools, Published: December 8, 2014

Five students from each of Henderson County Public Schools' elementary schools will be paired with a first responder Tuesday, and given $100 to spend at the Wal-Mart store in Hendersonville during the city's first "Shop With A Cop" event.

The shopping spree is funded through three Wal-Mart Community Outreach Grants, secured by Lt. Michael Vesely of the Hendersonville Police Department through his leadership of the regional BikeSafe NC program.

As regional coordinator with BikeSafe NC – a free motorcycle riding safety assessment and training program sponsored by the N.C. Governor's Highway Safety Program – Vesely said the local "Shop With A Cop" event was initially only going to include Hendersonville Police's 10 motorcycle officers.

In its first year, the event and its response from students and school counselors is already so large, uniformed officers from all over the region have been called in to participate.

"So many kids want that one-on-one interaction," Vesely said. "It's going to be a huge partnership."

Deputies with the Henderson County and Buncombe County sheriffs' offices, officers with the Laurel Park, Fletcher, Asheville and Lenoir police departments, troopers with the N.C. Highway Patrol and firefighters from the Hendersonville Fire Department will join Hendersonville police officers for the community outreach event.

Student participation was not based on financial need, said Dr. Helen Owen, HCPS director of Career & Technical Education and Counseling. Instead, school counselors selected students who display leadership potential, who need a boost in self-esteem or who are consistently giving back to their classmates, schools and community.

The Hendersonville Police Department will treat the students to a pizza lunch. HCPS Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services Bo Caldwell said the school system is waiving the bus fees, so transportation for students to the event is free.

Students are scheduled to arrive at Wal-Mart at 9 a.m. Tuesday, and will meet their first responder shopping assistants at 9:30 a.m. Shopping will begin at 11 a.m. and last about an hour, followed by lunch for the students.