Kennewick kids team up with cops to do some Christmas shopping

It's been a tough year for Shyanna and her family.

Last May, her little sister died after being found at the bottom of a pool in Finley.

The loss is amplified during the holidays, but teachers, counselors, and classmates at Eastgate Elementary, where Shyanna is a student, have surrounded the family as they cope with the loss.

It's one of the reasons Shyanna was one of 34 students selected from schools in the Kennewick School District to take part in this year's Shop with a Cop event.

The children lined up early Saturday morning at the Kennewick Walmart, alongside Kennewick Police officers, Benton County Sheriff's Deputies, and Washington State Patrol Troopers who guided shopping carts through the aisles of toys, games, and even cosmetics.

Shyanna didn't have a list in hand, but she knew exactly what she wanted to get for her mom, and made a beeline for the cosmetics department, with Trooper Eric Wittlake in tow.

"My mom always gets presents for our family, but she never gets her presents," Shyanna said. "So, that's why I got her the biggest present."

She and Trooper Eric discussed ideas for what to get her dad, when she told him about her sister's accident.

"There's stuff he doesn't like to do anymore since my sister drowned," she told him. "But he still likes to play his Nintendo Switch."

After a quick scan through the toy aisles, Shyanna was the first of the children to complete her purchases and head to the cash registers.

Each child was given a $100 gift card to buy gifts for their family members, with all the funds donated from the community to the non-profit Kennewick Police Department Foundation.

"The kids come with a list and it's really cool because they're buying things for their family," said Commander Randy Maynard with the Kennewick Police Department. "In my experience the kids are always watching out for their brothers and sisters and mom and dad and grandma."

Once the gifts are purchased, a group of volunteers wraps the presents, and the kids have one last stop to make before heading home.

"They get to see Santa before they leave, and Santa has something for them to take home, too," Maynard said.

Maynard was shopping with 11-year old Alfred, a student at Amistad who was shopping for his three teenage sisters.

"They had requested various items of make-up. I'm a fish out of water in that aisle, but he knew exactly what he was looking for, and we got it all taken care of," Maynard laughed, acknowledging that he didn't even feel uncomfortable in the cosmetic aisle.

"A lot of these kids have had negative interactions with officers because of their family situations, and this helps them to see officers as people who care for them and are here to help them," said one school social worker who was volunteering her time and interpretive skills Saturday morning.

Shyanna says she's looking forward to opening gifts this Christmas, and spending time with her family.

If you would like to donate toward the KPD Foundation's Shop with a Cop program, you can find donation information on their website, KPDFoundation.org.