Eight-year-old helps Shop With a Cop

After hearing how her uncle, Deputy Rick Karman, helped a boy shop in the annual holiday "Shop With A Cop" program last year, Luxemburg-Casco second-grader Brianna Bray,8, had an idea.

Not only did she want to help raise funds for the program, but her wish was that each child went home with a "toy and a puzzle for his or her whole family."

She approached Luxemburg-Casco guidance counselor Parish Webster with the idea of having a bake sale to raise the funds for the extra toys.

"I was a little surprised at first," said Webster.   "It is not every day that a second-grade student comes to you with a service project."

But Webster agreed to help her and contacted Nia Bongle, also known as "Officer Nia," a deputy in the Kewaunee County Sheriff's Department who works with the schools.

The three of them decided to host the bake sale during the Luxemburg-Casco High School basketball game on Dec. 4.

To recruit bakers, they worked with Luxemburg- Casco High School students to create a video about the sale, using the Rascal Flatts song, "Make a Wish."

Brianna has already recruited her grandmother, aunt and uncle to make spritz cookies and popcorn balls with chocolate candies for the sale, and they expect other donations to come in when the video is aired on the school district's website this week.

Brianna's dad, John Bray, is the baseball coach at the school and he is getting the baseball players involved, although Webster is not sure if they will bake.

"We are bringing different corners of the community together," said Webster, adding that they hoped to raise enough money to grant Brianna's wish that each child who participates in the program goes home with a "toy and a puzzle."

The "Shop With A Cop" program provides needy children with an opportunity to shop with an officer of the sheriff's department or the county's police departments.  The children shop for their families and not themselves, said Sheriff Matt Joski.   Last year, the program served five children from each of the county's three school districts, he said.

"Brianna is one of those kids who when she grows up will do great things," said Webster.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press Gazette: Eight-year-old helps Shop With a Cop