The Grinch in Perris
By Mia Rotell
An electric holiday chatter filled the crisp December morning air. Families in holiday gear lined up in front of a candy cane arch and wrapped around the building in anticipation. Children buzzed with excitement and clutched their exclusive Grinchmas Party invitations — the key to the special room.
But what’s inside the room?
Mountains of Nintendo Switch Lites, PlayStations, Malibu Barbie Dream Houses, electric scooters, Play-Doh sets, and dozens of other treasures — all for their choosing.
One child at a time groggily entered the room, but each left with a big smile on their face and wished everyone in sight a Merry Christmas — parents were just as grateful.
The Val Verde School Police Department hosted its second annual communitywide gift-giving event on Monday, this one called The Grinchmas Party. The event took place at the Val Verde Unified School District to help families who may have been experiencing hardship this holiday season.
Officer Marcus Hurst, one of the police officers who helped with the event, said that the goal of Grinchmas is to give families an extra smile this Christmas. “It’s just to help families in need. It doesn’t matter what’s in their background; it’s just if they need help for this year.”
The police department worked closely with teachers and other administrators at the Val Verde School District to select specific students for this event. Financial situations and personal connections that teachers had with students and their parents guided the selection process. Students were noticed, no matter what sort of hardship they were going through.
But what were recipients told about their invitations?
“They were giving out gifts as some type of reward,” Edgar Mitchell said, whose daughter received an invitation. “It’s to give her motivation to keep on doing good. This is something all of us parents want for our kids.”
Officers administered the tickets, and teachers told students that the recipients were doing exceptionally well in school — behaviorally or academically.
“He was really excited when he got picked,” said Monica Castruita about her son’s special invitation. ”He’s a good kid, and he does really well in school, so we’re really excited they picked him.”
The police department was able to give children a special Christmas because of local residents who donated toys or money. The officers received this support through other community events they put on year-round, which is what made this event possible.
Reserve Officer Loral Hamilton said that the police department gives back to families and their children every year through events like Grinchmas and another event, Shop With a Cop, where a kid and an officer go to Walmart with $200 and pick out their own Christmas presents.
“We try to do something like this every year,” Hamilton said. “It’s something we all love to do, and really like to meet the parents and the children.”
The next event has yet to be announced, but officers and family members are already looking forward to it.
For More Holiday Spirit Visit www.zapinin.com
