OTHELLO — Shawn Christopherson, mascot coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, said he understood why Othello Police Officer Tyson Cox decided to investigate those guys parked along an Othello street one day last summer.

“A bird on a scooter with four influencers following him draws some attention,” Christopherson said. “Officer Cox kind of pulled over just to check out what was going on.”

Well, of course, a bird wasn’t actually driving the scooter — it was Blitz, the Seahawks mascot.

“They were pulled over on the side of the road, and I (said), ‘What are they doing?’” Cox said.

Cox said he wasn’t sure it was all that safe for a guy wearing a bird head to be riding around on a scooter.

“Can he see?” Cox said.

Cox found Blitz and his entourage outside the Othello Public Works building on North Broadway Avenue.

“I pulled up and kind of gave them a hard time – I (said), ‘Are you licensed to drive that thing?’ And I (asked), ‘Can you see out of that thing?’ and he (said), ‘Oh yeah, I can see really well.’ All that kind of stuff,” Cox said. “We got to talking, and he was telling me about his fundraiser and different things like that.”

The fundraiser was the reason Blitz was in Othello. The Kicks4Kids program provides shoes for children across the state and every summer, Blitz goes on a statewide tour on a battery-powered scooter to promote it.

Christopherson said the entourage starts at the Washington-Idaho state line and heads west, stopping at towns along the way. It’s all documented on the team’s social media.

“Scooting across the state,” Christopherson said.

The itinerary is based on the Seahawks schedule and Othello was one of the stops. Blitz thought Othello might be a good candidate for the Kicks4Kids programs, and he asked Cox if OPD sponsors a Shop with a Cop program during the Christmas season – which in fact it does.

“He (said), ‘What would you say if I donated shoes for every single one of the kids (participating in Shop with a Cop)?’ And I (said), ‘That would be awesome.’” Cox said.

The OPD gets busy, and the shoe order went in a little late, but eventually, it was done.

“And less than a month later, he sent (the shoes) back to us,” Cox said. “We get a big box with a bunch of shoes in it.”

There was a pair for every child who had gone along on the Shop with a Cop program, which Cox said is one of his favorite events.

“When we do Shop with a Cop, I love seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces,” he said.

His 2024 shopping buddy told Cox it was one of the best days of his life.

“He tugged on the old heartstrings that day,” Cox said.

Delivering the shoes was just as much fun, he said. He enlisted the help of OPD Chief Dave Rehaume and other officers, and they took the shoes to elementary schools across town.

“We called the kids down to the office, and of course, I have the shoes hidden, and the kids are (saying). ‘Are we in trouble?’ And I’m (saying), ‘No, just the opposite,’” Cox said.

Cox explained the Kicks4Kids program and that they were getting new shoes.

“I pulled all the shoes out and started handing them to them, and it was like Shop with a Cop all over again, with their big old smiles and everything,” Cox said.

This is the first time for Othello in Kicks4Kids, but not the last.

“(Blitz) has an event in Spokane, and he and I are going to talk about how we can make it bigger and better,” Cox said.

They want to get more departments involved, possibly in Grant County, and see if they can’t do some fundraising for it in the Columbia Basin.

“It turned out to be a really great relationship,” Christopherson said.

That’s true even though it involved some personal sacrifice.

‘I’m a 49ers fan,” Cox said.

For those non-football fans, the Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers are in the same division and do not regard each other with fondness. Cox said he’s willing to overlook that for a good cause.

“I (said), ‘If there’s anything I can help you out with as far as your cause and things like that, I’m more than willing to help you out. Even if I do have to put on the blue and green for a couple hours,’” Cox said. “He and his team were awesome to hang out with.”

    Othello Police Officer Tyson Cox, right, talks with students who got new shoes as part of Kicks4Kids.