Originally published in The Vallejo Times Herald on December 10, 2014 By Dianne de Guzman.
“That was so fun,” a small child screamed to the group of police officers before running off.
That’s something a lot of the officers perhaps don’t hear much on the job from children, but Wednesday was different. Attending a holiday gathering for foster children at activity center Jump Highway, five members of the Vallejo Police Department, including Police Chief Andrew Bidou, spent time jumping on trampolines and playing with the kids, much to the delight of the children.
A joint event between Vallejo organization Foster Greatness and Aldea Children & Family Services, Wednesday’s gathering was not only a joyful gathering for the kids and teens, but also served as an opportunity for the Vallejo Police Department to show their support for a charity that is personal to one of the officers on staff, Jody Brown.
Brown, as a former foster child, knows what life can be like for the kids at this event and first became involved with Foster Greatness through a chance encounter with the group’s founder, Sandra Vegas. Brown wound up speaking at an event with the group in May and stayed involved, getting the Vallejo Police Department to help raise some money for warm clothing for the kids.
“I want to let the kids know that they have the police support because kids can go two ways,” Brown said. “They can either be involved in street gangs or get tied up in activities that they shouldn’t be in, or they can find a mentor to just meet with and have a story just like them where they think, ‘Hey, I can relate to that person. She’s done a lot with her life.’
“Hopefully I can have an influence on at least one kid, just from sharing my story with them. Then that would be great.”
Aldea Program Director Joe Lopez agreed with Brown.
“Most of these kids, they see a police officer as someone who kept them from their parent. That’s their experience,” Lopez said. “So we’re making sure the police department connects with the kids in a positive way.”
The event certainly showed the police in a playful light, and the venue had plenty of trampolines for jumping, coats and presents to be handed out to kids and even a Santa for photo opportunities. The event was a time to let the kids be kids, to let them run around, play and laugh.
Latonia Brooks, a foster parent, was in attendance and brought her kids to Jump Highway for the gathering. Holding a three-week-old foster child in her arms — with her two other foster kids sitting next to her — Brooks brings her kids to events by Aldea to get them out there and enjoy life.
“The kids that are in foster care, they’ve never experienced anything,” Brooks said. “They like getting out and jumping and stuff. So I think the events that they have is great for the kids to experience.”
“A lot of the kids being in foster care, they don’t get to go home to their families,” Vegas said in a phone interview. “That’s what moves us to be able to fill in and let kids do those things they don’t get to do.”
