The people who respond to 911 emergencies in the City of Bradford are banding together to prevent a different kind of emergency — a Christmas without gifts for children.
On Friday, the City of Bradford police and fire departments launched the annual 911 Toy Express, a program to collect new, unwrapped toys to distribute to less fortunate children in the community.
Officers Richard Obermeyer and Shelby Walters with the police department and Lt. Cathy Mealy with the fire department are spearheading the effort this year.
“We officially started today,” Obermeyer told The Era Friday afternoon. “December 18th is the last day for collections.”
This year, the program is taking applications for children to be served, and there will be some criteria.
“There are forms at our station, at Central Fire station and the school resource officers have them too,” Obermeyer said.
The goal, the officer explained, is to make sure all children have an opportunity for Christmas gifts. The names submitted with be cross-referenced with ELF Fund recipients to make sure there is no cross-over.
“We get the people who fall through the cracks,” Obermeyer said. “People who aren’t covered by the ELF Fund. It could be something where parents have an illness this year and Christmas will be a little tighter.”
Participants must be in the Bradford Area School District and 18 or under. “We’re not helping the family as a whole,” Obermeyer said, explaining this is geared toward providing toys to children.
Community participation has been very good each year the departments have offered the program. And donated toys range from smaller items like Matchbox cars to larger items like Lego sets or the popular toy for the year. There is no set limit, Obermeyer said, but added, “We’re not expecting people to bring Xboxes or anything.”
A family might submit an application saying, for example, that “Jimmy is age 10 and he likes Legos, Matchbox cars, and we’ll try to get stuff like that,” the officer said.
The public is asked to purchase new toys for the drive, and can drop them off at Central Fire Station on Chestnut Street or at the Bradford City Police station on Kennedy Street.
The police station is not always manned, Obermeyer cautioned. “Go in and knock. If no one answers, pick up the phone.”
Thanks to some anonymous donors, two children this year will have a neat keepsake under the tree.
“We had an anonymous donor donate a police and a fire” ride-along battery operated vehicle, Obermeyer said. The toys are being customized to look like the vehicles of the departments behind the drive.
Obermeyer said details are still being finalized for a contest where those will be the prizes.
“They will be on our Facebook page,” he said. City of Bradford Police and Bradford firefighters are the pages for the departments.
Gifts will be distributed between the 21st and 24th of December.
