On November 8th, 2007 at the monthly meeting of the Dane County
  Chief of Police Association we had an opportunity to hear about a
  new Non-Profit Corporation’s program called "With Wings and a
  Halo - R.E.A.C.H. a Child”  ( R.E.A.C.H. stands for Reading
  Enjoyment Affects Childhood Happiness!)  We enjoyed a
  presentation by its Executive Director, Paul S. Gilbertson, and a
  volunteer with their program, Lory Goetsch, a local Author from
  Waunakee.

  The two of them explained to us the goals of their organization, which
  were basically... "To bring a smile to the face of a child in the time of
  need!"  Their method to achieve this is through donating Children's
  Books to children in a crisis situation.  The Organization asked for
  our  help in distributing the Children's Books to these very children in

 need. It is no secret that emergency responders deal with crisis situations every day and unfortunately, children are often impacted by these events. Their hope was to place a "B.A.C.K. Packet" of books into every squad car and emergency vehicle in Dane County!   This would allow first responders the ability to provide children with a new book, each time they came in contact with a situation where a child would benefit. Our response was an overwhelming, "When can we get started?" voiced by everyone in the room.

Both Paul and Lory announced that they would be able to launch this "Test Pilot" program as soon as the second week in December.  That would give them the necessary time to put all of the books and packets together for the over 350 squad cars and ambulance vehicles involved.  Each Packet would consist of 10-12 Children's Books with a variety of topics for ages infant to twelve years.  That meant that they would be supplying between 3,500 and 4,000 Children's Books to the children in Dane County and the immediate surrounding area in time for the upcoming Holidays!

The Dane County Chief’s of Police Association strongly supports this initiative as it allows Law Enforcement Officers the opportunity to positively engage the children we encounter every day. Providing books to children under stress or in crisis is a win-win situation, as it provides a welcomed distraction while encouraging reading and further exploration of a child’s imagination.

For further information about this program please or email any of your comments or questions to paul@withwingsandahalo.org

 
Sincerely,

Assistant Chief Randy Gaber
Madison Police Department
President, Dane County Chief’s of Police Association

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