Giving smiles for Christmas

All Laurie Miske wanted for Christmas were 30 smiling faces.

And that’s just what the Saukville Police Department administrative assistant got on Saturday during the fifth annual Shop with a Cop event when 30 children showed up at the police station and were given $150 in gift cards.

Not to spend on themselves, but on their families.

As has been the case every year since 2015, children gathered for breakfast at the Saukville police station Saturday morning and were paired with a law enforcement personnel from throughout the county and taken to Walmart in Saukville or Meijer in Grafton to shop.

Afterward, they returned to the station to get their gifts wrapped.

Then they were surprised by a visit from Santa Claus who presented each child with a gift selected just for them.

Smiles weren’t just on the kids’ faces.

“It’s the highlight of my year,” Miske said. “It’s great to see the smiles on the faces of the kids. It’s very heartwarming to me.”

Miske has been involved with helping organize the event every year since it began. But this is her first year in charge since Saukville Police Officer Emily Neese, who led it in its first four years, left the department last year.

“I told the Chief (Robert Meyer) that I’d be willing to spearhead the cause,” Miske said. “(Neese) left a good foundation. I think things have gone really well this year. Faith comes into it, I think. Maybe there were some connections made upstairs that made this happen. ”

That includes finding the children by contacting teachers and school administrators at schools in the county who know more about what is going on in the lives of children than most.

For many it’s the only Christmas they will have, Miske said.

“Our first year, we had 17 kids, and we wrapped gifts in the back room at Walmart,” she said. “This year we have 30. It warms my heart that we almost have more kids than we can accommodate.”

This year included a surprise visit from Santa Claus, who gave each child a personalized gift.

That also was organized by Miske. 

“I talked to the families and asked a few questions about each child — their favorite color or toy and so forth,” she said.

Also this year, each family will be given free movie passes from Marcus Theatres, and the kids will be getting backpacks.

Besides Meijer and Walmart, other benefactors included Camping World in Saukville, several private donors and the Village of Saukville. Catering was provided by Mila’s Bakery and the Prime Minister restaurant.

  Volunteers included Saukville Police Sgt. Bob Ramthun, who helped wrap gifts and handed them out; Loretta Kryshak from Rebel Converting; Saukville Police Clerk Kim Buechler; office staff from other police departments and some police officers’ wives,  Miske said.

Miske’s two sisters helped out, as well, she said.

“I just appreciate everybody’s support,” she said. 

Departments participating were the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office; police departments from Cedarburg, Grafton, Mequon, Port Washington, Saukville and Thiensville; State Patrol and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.