CHEBOYGAN — As northern Michigan braces for a storm this holiday season, members of the Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Department spent their November and December making sure no child in the area was cold this winter.
At various events sponsored by the sheriff’s department and Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #122, residents and attendees were encouraged to donate winter clothing to support the department’s annual Coats for Kids fundraiser.
The event was started by Sgt. Dean Tebo and Sgt. Earl Manuel, Undersheriff Timothy Cook said. Now the department and other police agencies in the county are working together to get winter clothes to the people who need them.
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“They came to the sheriff and said, ‘This is a concept that we would like to put in place so that we can stay connected and involved in the community and communities. It’s all about the kids, says Cook. “The idea came and the sheriff told them to run with it. They contacted several businesses, and they put out the notice, and they asked for donations — and that year they did really well.”
On Wednesday, Dec. 21, Lt. Josh Ginop, Manuel, Tebo and Deputy Jonathan Hutchinson went to various Cheboygan County schools and dropped off more than 1,100 winter clothes, according to the Coats for Kids Facebook page.
The program encouraged people to bring gently worn and used winter clothing to various donation locations, as well as an entry fee to various events.
The foundation hosted a hockey game – Cops vs Straits Area Men’s Hockey League – and the annual Riggsville Redneck Christmas Parade where coats were collected. The parade also accepted food donations for the food pantry for St. Thomas.
According to the Facebook post, the foundation was able to provide students with 351 coats, 341 hats, 272 pairs of gloves, 55 pairs of snow pants, 23 pairs of boots and 70 warm clothes.
The clothes were distributed to children across the region, including schools in Cheboygan, Wolverine, Alanson, Pellston, Mackinaw City and Onaway.
“It makes the sheriff and I very proud of not only the deputies and correctional officers in the sheriff’s department here, but this is a partnership with all law enforcement agencies in the county, and they are raising an unprecedented amount of money and donated coats to ensure that every child, every child in the county has what they need to get through the winter,” Cook said.
Cook added that the department is working with contacts at the schools to determine how many of which items of clothing children need, including whether the items would be for a boy or a girl and the sizes needed.
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The department also raised money. These donations are used to purchase additional coats and needed items. The department raised more than $1,300 internally during a No Shave initiative in November as well, with all money raised going back into the rock drive.
In the five years the event has been running, about 1,100 coats, 600 hats, 500 pairs of gloves, 400 pairs of boots and 300 pairs of snow pants have been redistributed to children in the county, Cook said.
“It makes the sheriff and I very proud that law enforcement agencies in this county are taking it upon themselves to do good for the community,” he said.
— Contact education reporter Karly Graham at [email protected] Follow her on Twitter at@KarlyGrahamJRN.
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