This ride benefits Shop with a Cop. Many people are unfamiliar with this program, which benefits needy children at Christmas. It is sponsored by K Mart and just about every law enforcement entity in Utah County. K Mart's Good News Committee works all year to raise funds for this event, then near Christmastime about a hundred Police, Sheriff, and Highway Patrol units converge on one of the local K Marts.
There they pick up kids whose families' financial situations make Christmas an unaffordable luxury, then whisk them off to breakfast. They are not supposed to run with lights and sirens, but they always do, and the kids love it. (Imagine waking up to see about a hundred cop cars coming down your street, Code 3. It is very impressive). After breakfast, they head back to K Mart, where the kids get to go through the store and use funds provided by Shop with a Cop to, well, shop with their cop. They get presents for themselves, of course, but they all also buy gifts for their brothers, sisters, and parents.
Shop with a Cop doesn't have any trouble getting volunteers from the law enforcement community. I saw a video that JTV made of the event, and I can see why they volunteer. It really brings out the best in people.
So this ride is one of the fundraisers. It is sponsored by the K Mart Good News Committee (who provides publicity and the meal at the end of the ride) and RK Cycle (who very generously provides prizes for the drawing at the meal as well as facilities and equipment for the ride).
If you can't make the ride, thank these folks by giving them your business and telling them why.
This was the first Ride for Shop with a Cop. It was over the Nebo Loop, followed by a very nice hamburger and hot dog meal at Payson City Park. A good time was had by all.
We tried something completely different, and rode from Orem up through Lehi out into the desert. We rode through Tooele up to Saltair, where we saw the sights and had a break, then returned to Orem and had the usual excellent meal at Scera Park. Again, a very nice ride, good company, and fun.
Because the guy who has organized this ride in the past has been through P.O.S.T. (Police Officer's Standards and Training) and turned into a genuine cop, he hasn't had much time to organize a ride. Plus, K Mart, having fallen on hard times, has dropped its official sponsorship of Shop with a Cop. But the Utah County K Marts have kept the tradition going, so we need to support them with a ride. Watch this page for news of a future Shop with a Cop benefit ride, or Email me and I'll put you on a list of people to notify if a ride is going to happen.
Meanwhile, of few of us plan on getting together for a ride just for the heck of it and to kick in a few bucks for the kids. Email me if you want information on this ride.
Email Lyle
Fri, 31 Dec, 2004