Despite having been on calls at the Atlantic City Rescue Mission countless times during my tenure as an Atlantic City police officer, it wasn’t until about 2015 that I learned that the second floor of the building housed homeless families with children. For some reason, this was quite shocking to those of us on a call, which happened to occur at Christmastime and tugged on the heartstrings of even the most hardened of us when we realized that the children living there would not be having the Christmas every little boy or girl dreams of. Patrolman Mike Gavin took it upon himself to ask Toni Jordan, who is an absolute angel among us and is the director of the unit, what we could get for the kids to make Christmas more bearable to them. It was a rushed job to the shops at The Walk, then swinging back between calls and just handing her bags of unwrapped stuff.
The following Christmas, Mike reminded everyone about the family unit, to which I suggested that we ask the kids for their dream wish list, not just things they needed, but wanted for Christmas. Toni delivered the list, and from there, a Christmas tradition was born, where we would gather a bunch of patrol cars stuffed with the gifts, dress Patrolman Jerard Ingenito as Santa to arrive at the Mission in the SWAT Bearcat and hand out the gifts to the families. While the children were over the moon about getting the gifts, I felt that the environment did not lend itself to being terribly festive and thought we could do better. Having our PBA Union meetings at the Moose Lodge gave me the idea to have an actual Christmas party with food, gifts, music and of course Santa. The Moose very generously donated their space, every unit in the police department picked a kid to sponsor, vendors donated tons of food and we surprised the families with a party during which they can forget about their worries and watch the children thoroughly enjoy Christmas as every child deserves.
Since those early days, I have retired from the ACPD but am dedicated to keeping this tradition alive. My career as a police officer and my dog-training business have provided me with a comfortable life, for which I am very grateful; if all I can do to help Toni, whom I have endless respect and love for, is to throw this event each year, then I am all too happy to do it. When my soulmate dog Sushi passed away, I decided to start a 501(c)(3) charity in her name, specifically for this event. I could not be more proud and humbled by what we have accomplished. Every year, we hold a fundraiser called Santa Paws at Atlantic City Police Officer Jose Gonzalez’s 609 Jiu Jitsu to raise money for the wish list. Chief James Sarkos, of Atlantic City Police Department fame, always dedicates any resource I ask for to the party. Together with Sergeant Kevin Law and civilian “Wonder Woman” Julie Lawler, we hosted a party and thought this year was our best yet.
Thanks to generous clients I have met through my dog-training business, friends, family, and the men and women of the Atlantic City Police Department, we were able to purchase every single gift asked for by 23 children. We were also able to give their parents gift bags and hopefully take the weight of the world off of their shoulders, even if just for the day. Santa (Patrolman Jared Ingenito) arrived in the SWAT Bearcat to help Chief Sarkos hand out gifts. Numerous Atlantic City police officers visited the party and mingled with the families. My client Julia brought her therapy dog, a Newfoundland named Bear, to snuggle with and kiss. My belief in showing the community that police officers are indeed human beings, mixed with my love of a good dog, was on full and grand display.
The Atlantic City Rescue Mission does important work in our area, and Toni Jordan is simply remarkable. I adore this woman and am currently in the planning stage of getting a scholarship program together through The Sushi Foundation to help a parent looking for a way out of their situation. On behalf of Toni, Chief Sarkos, Sergeant Law, myself, and most importantly, the kids, I can not thank all of you who donated to the cause and who helped just because it feels good to do so.
The only thing that could have topped the good feelings that warmed my heart after this Christmas party was the next day, going to Dr. Agnew with my dog Miki and learning that she is expecting five babies! It was a fantastic Christmas this year for sure, and the new year is going to be even better! Happy New Year from Four on the Floor Dog Training, everyone!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
