13-December – Shop with Santa’s Heroes

At 06:45, Saturday morning 13-December, seven members of Fire-Rescue participated with a dozen other emergency responders and Colleton County DSS to bring a brighter Christmas to some children in our community. The annual “Shop with Santa’s Heroes” event is sponsored by the Walterboro Police Department who spearheads the collection of donations to purchase the gifts for the children. This year 21 members from Fire-Rescue, the Sheriff’s Office, Walterboro Police and Fire Departments participated. Everyone met at the County parking lot at North Jefferies Blvd and Washington Street. Eighteen children, who were selected by DSS, were paired up with a responder. The children were allowed to select a Fire Truck or Police Vehicle in which to ride. They were able to operate the emergency equipment during their early morning response to Wal-Mart. Santa stopped by to greet everyone at Wal-Mart and spoke with each child. All participants were given a $180 gift card to buy whatever they chose and Wal-Mart gave an additional discount to extend the giving spirit. After the shopping spree, everyone traveled at Burger King where Mr. Cook and Josh Bell of Cook Enterprises provided breakfast for the entire group. It was a rewarding event, with many happy children to help bring in the holiday spirit.