Each year, the week before Thanksgiving week, there is a fundraiser – well, more of a party – at the McHenry VFW that raises money for Shop With A Cop, the event where law-enforcement officials chaperone area disadvantaged children, in their squad cars, for some holiday shopping.
The fundraiser includes live music, good food and prizes – lots of prizes. The prizes are in raffles, silent auctions and live auctions. You’ll find table after table of prizes at the event. There are coupons for area restaurants, baskets of cosmetics, massage certificates, automotive accessories, toys and much more. But, among those prizes, you’ll also traditionally find gifts for pets and pet owners.
Imagine a basket of goodies, filled to overflowing, with treats, dog toys and bedding for your dog. Or, how about coupons for horseback riding lessons, or coupons for dog training. These are some of the prizes available each year on the tables at the Shop With A Cop benefit.
So, if you’re a pet lover, you may find a prize waiting on the tables at the McHenry VFW that are precisely what you’re looking for. And, while you’re at it, you might want to throw a ticket into the cup for some of the other prizes; you might want to tender a bid for some of the auction prizes.
Rumor has it that the live auction includes a package for a Cubs game that’s more than just a chance to watch a game. They say it includes dinner and over-night accommodations for two. But, whatever prizes you might take home from the event, the real prize is the difference you can make in a young child’s life.
When times are tough for a family, they’re tough for the children, too. A child can become disillusioned by their hardship. They may wonder if anyone cares. The Shop with a Cop program gives evidence to these children that someone does care.
Making that kind of a difference in a child’s life today can have long-term benefits for a young man or woman as they grow into adulthood.
The Shop With A Cop Fundraiser is …
6 p.m. to Midnight
Saturday, Nov. 13
McHenry VFW
3002 IL-Rte 120
McHenry