OCSO school resource officers delivering gifts to 300 kids through Angel Tree program

SHALIMAR — Close to 300 kids will receive special deliveries from their school’s designated school resource officer before Christmas arrives this year.

The Angel Tree program is a long-standing tradition for the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office Youth Services Division. On average, there are about 100 kids selected for the program, but it nearly tripled in size this year as deputies saw a greater need.

“This is just another thing we like to be involved with because we’re the closest ones to the kids,” said Lt. Demeika McClendon, who oversees the Youth Services Division. "Whatever we can do to lift their spirits, especially during this time during a pandemic, whatever we can do to let them know that we’re here to support them, we want to do that."

School resource officers (SROs) meet with guidance counselors at their schools to determine which students could benefit from the program. Some SROs also recognize kids in need from their previous interactions.

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“Those counselors have that relationship with those kids,” McClendon said. “They know the financial status. They know if they’re on reduced lunches, who really needs services.”

Each SRO can submit up to five kids for the program. Afterward, SROs sit down with the guidance counselor and child and have them fill out a wish list. Some students ask for things like bikes or dolls. Others simply want hygiene products or a new pair of socks.

“It’s very humbling because I remember sitting down with a kid when I was an SRO and I asked him what he would want for Christmas, and he just wanted a pair of socks,” McClendon said. “That really humbled me. It made me be more grateful for what I have.”

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The wish lists are provided to deputies, who then purchase the gifts for the children. Some teachers and local businesses and organizations also contribute gifts.

McClendon said Deputy Matt Langer took on a big chunk of the program this year and networked with several businesses to make it a success. In total, more than $50,000 in gifts were collected. That adds up to almost $200 spent on each child.

“It’s a collaborative event,” McClendon said. “Just everyone coming together for a good cause and helping these kids have a great Christmas. That’s really what this program is about.”

The entire Youth Services Division gathered at the Sheriff’s Office headquarters in Shalimar on Wednesday to load up the gifts. Items big and small, all wrapped or bagged in festive decorations, filled a room from wall to wall.

McClendon said the program was so big this year they almost needed more space to hold all the gifts. A row of 25 bikes and scooters also lined the wall, waiting to be placed in the back of deputies' patrol cars to be delivered before Christmas.

McClendon said it is up to the school resource officers to decide how they will deliver the gifts. Many choose to make special trips to the homes of children they are familiar with. Some also will give the gifts to parents as they pull through the school parking lot to drop off their kids.

“We try to work with the parents to get those gifts to them so that they can give them for Christmas,” McClendon said. “We may just pop up like Santa Claus with a hat. We do have a few (officers) that on Christmas Eve try to act like Santa.”

McClendon said the OCSO plans to continue the program for many years to come. The impact even simple gifts like a new coat can make on a child is humbling to see, she said, recalling the smile on a child's face one year as she was dropping off gifts.

“Many of these kids, they go to school and they see other kids have things that they don’t have,” she said. “The kids that don’t have much are probably the most appreciative. A little token of hope for them can push them forward in their life. They see that there are good people out there to help them get through things, and we’re all in this together.”

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa sheriff's Angel Tree program gives gifts to 300 kids