Evening Optimist Club donates to Shop with a Hero

Not only does Kristin Ham of the Optimist Club of Cape Girardeau present a check for $500 to the Shop with a Hero event held on December 6th at the Cape Girardeau Walmart Supercenter, at 5 a.m. that morning she becomes a volunteer. "I'll do whatever is needed to see the smiles on these children's faces," she says. Event Coordinator Valerie Wondrick adds, "Our Shop with a Hero is a dual purpose community effort. One is to give needy children the things they want for Christmas. The other is to create an interaction between the kids and the heroes who are officers, firefighters, and first responders. Some children are so timid when they first start to shop and then at the end of their shopping, they are all smiles and even hugging the hero." Cpl. Johnny Spencer summed it up, "Knowing we are able to make a child's Christmas brighter, while positively impacting families in our community is priceless!"