By Heidi Clayton
In 2015 when I was still an Atlantic City police officer, Ptl. Michael Gavin went on a domestic dispute call at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. A veteran officer at the time, he discovered only then that the mission housed homeless families with their children.
Many of the women who find themselves homeless are victims of domestic violence and are housed at the mission when they have nowhere else to turn. Being the Christmas season, Mike was sad to see the children there had very little in the way of anything, let alone presents.
He sent out a department-wide email asking for gifts for the kids and within hours, Christmas was delivered to those children who were truly in need. Mike’s simple act of compassion started an Atlantic City Police Department tradition.
Every year since, Atlantic City Rescue Mission staff member Toni Jordan provides us with a wish list from the children living at or dependent upon the mission for housing or food. Once the list is received, each unit in the Police Department sponsors a child and together, money is pooled and each and every gift on their lists is purchased. The moms of the ACPD always go the extra mile with stockings and extra treats just like they do for their own children.
My involvement post retirement stems from my last two years as a cop when Gov. Chris Christie drastically cut all our salaries. A few of the wishes on the lists were pricey things that all normal kids ask for like Ugg boots, laptops, and iPads.
One of my besties, Barbara Gutjahr, and I thought that as small business owners we could raise extra funds by asking our clients to sponsor a child or gift. We also held our first Santa Paws fundraiser where we raised enough to purchase five laptops and two iPads. Since then we have created a non-profit charity specifically for providing Christmas for homeless families.
Our list this year consisted of six families that were struggling to keep their housing and had been in and out of the rescue mission. The families were spread out between three towns and when asked to join in on delivery, the Pleasantville and Egg Harbor Township police departments gladly said yes.
On Dec. 22 despite the rain, a caravan of 15 police cars from Atlantic City, Pleasantville, and Egg Harbor Township assembled in the rear of the Public Safety Building and together with Santa Claus, went with lights and sirens to each child’s home to deliver their gifts.
It made me very happy to see not only the surprise on the faces of the children, but to see police officers I used to work with forget the weight of their often very stressful and difficult jobs and be legitimately happy.
The State of New Jersey has finally come to its senses and promoted James Sarkos to chief of the Atlantic City Police Department. I can’t think of anyone more deserving or capable for the position. He has never said no to any one of the requests for manpower this event needs and our thanks to him is beyond measure.
For many years this event went on with little fanfare other than the police officers of the Atlantic City Police Department wanting to help those in need and giving back to the community. I am proud to still partner with the Police Department and commend the officers who donate their time and money to not just shop for the gifts, but to wrap them as if they are for their own children.
Chief Sarkos is equally proud of the men and women of the department who step up and volunteer their time and money to give back to the community and bring Christmas to these children who truly appreciate it and are so deserving of the holiday cheer.
Toni reported to me later that the children were overwhelmingly happy and she and the staff of the Atlantic City Rescue Mission are so very grateful the ACPD holds this event every year.
The mission receives little to no funding from the state. They rely heavily on donations to care for not just the homeless families they help, but to feed the swelling population of homeless persons in the City of Atlantic City.
You can help them all year round with a donation by going to acrescuemission.org.
Heidi Clayton started Four on the Floor Dog Training as a result of her own struggle to find a positive and reward-based dog trainer in South Jersey. She breeds, trains, and shows her own bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloor.dog.
Heidi Clayton is a retired 25 year veteran of the Atlantic City Police Department. She started Four on the Floor Dog Training a result of her own struggle to find a positive & reward based dog trainer in the South Jersey area. She is passionate about giving every dog, even the difficult ones, a voice and the skills they need to thrive in life. She breeds, trains, and shows her own Bull Terriers under the SoraBullys’s Kennel Name.
