THANKS: Holidays and Heroes a success

The Post Falls Police Department, on behalf of all participating agencies, extends our gratitude to everyone who helped make our 19th annual Holidays and Heroes event another joyous success on Dec. 10.

With shopping lists ready, police officers, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters were paired with specially-selected local children and took them shopping at Walmart stores to purchase Christmas gifts for their family members. Other volunteer shoppers secretly chose gifts for the children.

Event organizers chose participant’s names based upon recommendations from school resource officers, school counselors, patrol officers, deputy sheriffs and firefighters to help make Christmas a little brighter for children in need.

Law enforcement and emergency service agencies from Kootenai and Spokane counties, along with numerous group and individual volunteers and sponsors, provided a festive and joyous holiday experience for 100 children throughout our community.

After everyone finished shopping and bags were loaded into patrol cars, they met at the Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls where more activities awaited the children. Volunteers wrapped all the gifts. Children decorated an ornament, took pictures with Santa and ate lunch. Children continued to shop. There were stacks of handmade quilts for each child to select. There was also a table filled with free toothbrushes, toothpaste and other goodies. In addition, each child brought home two turkey dinner food boxes.

Holidays and Heroes continues to be an exceptional event each year because of the dedicated officers and their family members, volunteers and sponsors who so generously give of their time and resources to bring joy into the lives of as many children as possible. Thank you to all of our partners. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thank you to the staff and family members from the following agencies: Coeur d’Alene Police Department; Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police; Idaho Department of Correction Adult Felony Probation and Parole; Idaho State Police; Kootenai County Adult Misdemeanor Probation & Parole; Kootenai County Fire & Rescue IAFF Local 2856; Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office; Life Flight Network; Post Falls Police Department; Rathdrum Police Department; Spirit Lake Police Department; Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and Spokane Valley Police Department.

Thank you to the following group organizations: Boy Scout Troop 213 Post Falls; Clover Chapter 33 Order of the Eastern Star; Coeur d’Alene Police Officers Association; Girl Scout Troop 2035; Idaho State Police Association Chapter 1; Kootenai County Police and Fire Memorial Foundation; Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office Volunteer Search & Rescue; New Life Church, North Idaho Young Marines; Post Falls Community Ambassadors; Post Falls High School Boys JV and Varsity Basketball Teams; Spirit Lake City Council; Spirit Lake Fire Union; Spirit Lake VFW; Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Explorers; Trinity Lutheran Church and U.S. Army Recruiting Center, Hayden (Thomas Purcell).

Thank you to our private sponsors and individual volunteers: Joe and Donna Arrotta; Merte and Winifred Barth TTEE; Teresa Benner; Jody and Debera Gambles; Paula and William Gilbert; Bob and Pam Granger; Allan and Debbie Holmes; Ron and Susan Jacobson; Paula Laws; Marji Loeffler; Miguel Moises Maldonado; Menti Family; Audrey and Derek Miller; Fran Nocella; Morris and Carol Prosser; Brian Thurlow and Carol Yost.

Thank you to the following commercial organizations: Ace Hardware (Rathdrum); American Eagle Automotive; Banner Furnace and Fuel, Inc.; Blackwell Lounge; Brumbach Family Dentistry; Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel; Columbia Bank (Rathdrum); Ekness Catering; Express Employment Professionals; Findlay Nissan Post Falls; The Furniture Doctors; Greyhound Park & Event Center; Idaho Central Credit Union; Idaho Forest Group; James Brown Construction; Messy’s Burgers; Midway Hyundai Post Falls; Millers Harvest Foods; MiPueblo Mexican Restaurant; Nate’s New York Pizza; Northwest Building Components; Numerica Credit Union; Ohio Street, LLC; Post Falls Brewing Company; Post Falls Family Dental; Prairie Children’s Center; R & C Tree Service (in memory of John); Sullivan Law Office, PLLC; Super 1 Foods (Rathdrum); Stratford Building Corp; Rathdrum Power, LLC; Terry’s Café; The Blind Guy; Walmart (Hayden, Post Falls and Spokane Valley); White Horse Saloon; Woodland Family Dental and YF Management, Inc.

For anyone we may have missed, our sincere apologies. Several hundred people make this event possible, and we greatly appreciate everyone’s contribution to Holidays and Heroes. Thank you!

Sincerely,

CHARLENE HOLBROOK

PFPD Event Coordinator