Police bring books, smiles to kids in Southwest Minn.
Since the beginning of the school year, Worthington police officers have made nearly 50 visits to area schools. Not because of an emergency or because they were called to, but to help show a side of officers that kids do not normally see.
The school visits are part of Blue in the School, a program that is meant to help enhance school safety, create familiarization between kids and officers, and establish a strong foundation for the future.
With books in hand, Worthington Police Chief Troy Appel recently visited the kindergarten classes of Prairie Elementary (pictured left). He introduced himself and read a story to eager learners.
What happened next surprised nearly everybody.
“When I stood up to leave, a student approached me and gave me a hug,” Appel said. “The entire class joined in and the teacher looked at me a bit concerned and assured me she didn’t ask them to do that. I smiled from the middle of a hug that was 20-plus kids deep.”
It’s the kind of trust and understanding that couldn’t happen without Blue in the School and without the books that were given to Worthington police by The Salvation Army. After Chief Appel read to the children, each child received a copy of the book, and their faces lit up.
“It’s kind of like the Oprah Winfrey moment,” said Kim Schwich, Salvation Army extension services administrator. “The officers ask, ‘Did you like this book? Did you thing this book was good? Well guess what, today everybody is going to get a book.’”
The Salvation Army received the books from Read Indeed, a program that was founded by 14-year-old Maria Keller of Plymouth, Minn. (pictured right). A passionate reader, Keller started Read Indeed when she was just 8. Initially, her goal was to donate one million books. But when she accomplished that at the age of 13, she set her eyes on a new goal – two million books. She wants to say she helped donate books to every state in the U.S. and every country in the world.
Thanks to The Salvation Army’s partnership with Read Indeed, hundreds of kids in southwest Minnesota have been touched by Keller’s kindness and passion for reading.
“I had a van load full of books – about 600 or so,” Schwich smiled.
It was enough books for not only Worthington, but for the town of Minneota, too.
“What can I say, this is a great program,” said Minneota Police Chief Bill Bolt.
Bolt is a former Worthington police officer. After hearing about the success schools were having there, he started reading to children in Minneota.
“I just started this week, but I have already read to three classes and handed out close to 60 books,” Bolt said (pictured left).
He said by being able to sit down and read to the children he’s able to enter their world, allowing the kids to see him less as an officer, but more as a person. The books become a key to unlocking a door allowing for a more deeper and meaningful relationship with children, teachers, parents and the community.
“It has started a pay-it-forward affect that is reaching people beyond the school,” Bolt explained. “All thanks to the donation of a book.”
It’s been said, “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” Now, children in southwest Minnesota are learning the same can be said about the men in blue.