by Gina V. Stevens
“Reading gives us somewhere to go when we have to stay where we are.” – Mason Cooley
Cops ‘n’ Kids Delaware Valley initiates beautiful possibilities for underserved children.
The non-profit 501(c)3 initiative, fosters a tangible connection between children and the public through literacy experiences, then placing free books into the hands and homes of children. Throughout the year, these communal happenings enable Cops ‘n’ Kids Delaware Valley to integrate positive relationships between children, law enforcement, firefighters, teachers, and those who serve our local municipalities.
Cops ‘n’ Kids was launched in this area in 2017 as a project of the American Association of University Women.
President Mary Auker, a retired reading school specialist and grandmother of five heads a team of teachers, literacy specialists and volunteers dedicated in supporting programs such as Pre-K Counts.
Volunteers read to children, organize activities based around reading, and allow children after a session to pick out books to take home and grow their own at-home libraries.
“It is important,” said Mary, “that we provide books highlighting the diverse population that we serve. At one of our reading activities, a little boy selected a book, ‘Stories for Grandmas to Read,’ but accidentally placed it back in a pile. A grandmother picked the same book up and felt it perfect to read to her own grandchildren. The story was reminiscent of her family. When the little boy returned, we all realized the mix-up, and he handed her the book to take home. That is just one of dozens of heartwarming stories we experience through Cops ‘n’ Kids,” added Mary.
The national campaign, Cops ‘n’ Kids was the brainchild of Julia Mae Burney, a law enforcement officer of Racine, WI, who responded to a 1997 burglary, a false alarm.
When the warehouse owner unlocked the door to check inside the facility, Burney noticed boxes and boxes of children’s books. Some had slight imperfections.
The property owner said that the books were going to be shredded. By request, Julia and her fellow officers loaded the books in their squad cars.
Whenever they would come in contact with youngsters on their beats, they would distribute the cargo – at school events, police stations, sometimes at traffic stops.
Word got out and tikes would pull wagons and carry bags, just to retrieve the precious literature.
“I knew how inner-city people regarded police,” Julia recalled. “I wanted them to see the human being behind the badge,” she concluded.
Through Cops ‘n’ Kids, each girl or boy is encouraged to evolve as literate learners, curious, compassionate, innovative leaders in the Delaware Valley and wherever their hearts and minds take them.
Cops ‘n’ Kids Delaware Valley collects new and gently used books through book drives; distributes the hardcovers and paperbacks at community reading events; supports classroom libraries, community and family service organizations. Cops ‘n’ Kids has 115 chapters across the globe.
Ways people may help:
Organize a book drive at a business, school or organization site; volunteer to help sort, pick up books; provide public relations, copywriting or web design services; participate at one of organization’s community or reading events; donate funds to help support literacy-related activities; donate real estate for a permanent reading room within the area for ongoing events, book storage and distribution.
Drop-off new and gently used books to any of these locations: Lower Makefield Township Police Station; Morrisville Municipal Building; Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library, Bristol; Starbucks Yardley, 1 North Main Street, Yardley; Middletown Township Municipal Building; Snyder-Girotti School, 450 Beaver Street, Bristol.
More information may be found by searching, copsnkidsdelval.org.