Pictured above are Katie Goss, Kenny Klein, Ben Young, and
Interim District 22 Commander Lieutenant Steven Shields

---

 

Illinois State Police District 22 Interim Commander Steven Shields and Telecommunications Supervisor Kenny Klein recently accepted a $5,000 check from Katie Goss and Ben Young at the Anna McDonald’s on November 16, 2011.  Ms. Goss is the Public Relations representative of Short Enterprises, owners of nine McDonald’s restaurants in the southern Illinois area. Mr. Young is the manager of the Anna store.

 

On Tuesday December 20, 2011, District 22 personnel will don their Santa hats and join together to load squad cars with food and gifts like elves loading Santa’s sleigh.  They will spend the day distributing the items to families in need for Operation C.A.R.E. (Children are Remembered Everywhere) Bears. 

 

Based in Illinois State Police District 22, Operation C.A.R.E. Bears is a charitable organization that has been in existence for 15 years.  Recipients are chosen through contact with area schools by Operation C.A.R.E. Bears’ organizers.  Organizers ask for referrals of children that have slipped through the cracks and are not being helped by any other organization.  Applications are screened and families are chosen based upon criteria determined by the organizers of the program. 

 

The families chosen are then contacted prior to the food and gift distribution.  Parents or guardians are asked to fill out a wish list for each child if they desire to participate in the program.  Volunteers then shop for the items on the list and wrap the gifts.  Shoppers and wrappers consist of volunteers from area church groups, district personnel and families, and area First Responders.  Every child in the family receives gifts, and the entire family receives a food voucher.  Items that have been bought and distributed in the past include bed sheets, blankets, Christmas trees, and toiletries. 

 

The screening process has become stricter due to abusers of charitable organizations.  The hardest part of the job, according to Kenny Klein, Telecommunications Supervisor, is locating the truly needy.  This is why organizers meet throughout the year to screen and vote on the applications.  Operation C.A.R.E. Bears does not accept self-referrals.  

 

One-hundred percent of donations go directly to the children and their families.  There are no overhead or administrative costs, as the organization is strictly a volunteer force. Operation C.A.R.E. Bears’ organizers plan events throughout the year to raise money for the Christmas food and gifts, such as golf scrambles, food stands, competitive dives and shoots. 

 

Donations to this very worthwhile charity are accepted throughout the year.

---