Packers work with Pals program for holiday season
By Shane Fitzsimmons/Kris Leonhardt
HOWARD – On Tuesday, Dec. 5, Green Bay Packers Josiah Deguara, Rasheed Walker, Emanuel Wilson, Ellis Merriweather and Anthony Johnson Jr. helped kids from the Pals Program complete their holiday shopping at Meijer in Howard.
The Pals program is a mentoring program of Brown County Health & Human Services in which volunteer mentors spend time — 2-3 times per month — interacting in a recreational or educational setting to help a child adjust to the loss or separation of a parent.
“As soon as I heard about what was going on today, there was nothing else that needed to be said. I want to be a part of this,” recalled Packers Offensive Tackle Rasheed Walker.
“I feel like today is special for all the kids that we’re taking shopping. You know this will be an experience they will never forget. I know when I was a kid I used to love doing stuff like this. I just think it’s such a cool thing to be able to do for kids, take them shopping. It doesn’t get any better than that.
“I hope they just, you know, really embrace, that they can get whatever they want. I told them to have fun, have a great experience. You know, be able to ask me any type of questions that they want to ask”
Jim Anderson, Green Bay, a volunteer mentor who has been matched with his pal for 11 years said that the kids they mentor are experiencing unique situations.
“You have to understand the kids that are in this program, what we considered normal, nothing is normal for these kids. They all have different circumstances. They all come from broken homes. To be able to get them to meet Packer players, to actually have money to buy gifts — not only for themselves but their family — it’s huge. It’s just greatly appreciated. Trust me, I know,” he said.
Anderson said that this year’s shopping was slightly different from previous events.
“The Packers have been doing this now for several years. I think last year’s program was each Packer did the shopping with the child. This year we opted to try something just a little bit different, to have the mentor [or] the match [spend time with the children], but then the Packers are kind of floating around.”
Timothy Dantoin, Green Bay, another Pals volunteer, explained the importance of the event, “It’s a great experience, just to help them get holiday spirit and then realize there are people who care about them and they have some fun doing it. Just watching their faces as they go through and buy stuff for other people and learn that spirit of giving and joy.”
Much of the experience was accomplished with the assistance of Meijer gift cards, but Meijer went one step further.
“We had Santa come in this year too, so it was great seeing the kids. They were shocked by Santa and then a lot of them are like, “Where’s the Packer players? The Packers are really humble, letting the kids know [it’s ok to] get this. Seeing the kids actually shop for their families; like sometimes it’s not about them, it’s about more important [things like] mom and dad,” said Meijer Store Director Heidi Datema.
Green Bay Packers Safety Anthony Johnson, Jr., added that a little time can have a big effect on the youths involved in the program.
“It means a lot, simply because these are some kids that are very deserving of the things that we’re doing for them, and you just see the little things that something like this would do for a kid in a position that they are in — it goes a long way. I’ve been in the same shoes that a lot of these kids are in. Just small things, the impact, you never know what can help change a kid’s life.”