Blake Cox, 11, reacts while receiving a hug from Santa Claus during Saturday’s Blue Angel Connect Holiday Hope program. The group made the holiday season brighter for several families last weekend.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
GREENFIELD — When 11-year-old Blake Cox saw the firetruck round the corner with Santa Claus in the front seat, he beamed from ear to ear.
The young boy and his family were among eight families who gathered at the Buck Creek Township Fire Department on Saturday morning, Dec. 18, to be showered with Christmas cheer, which included barbecue pork sandwiches for lunch, tables overflowing with gifts and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Twenty-two children and their parents were included in this year’s outpouring of generosity, courtesy of Blue Angel Connect’s Holiday Hope program, which provides gifts and food for Buck Creek Township families in need at Christmastime.
The names of potential families are submitted by local organizations, including Mt. Vernon and Eastern Hancock schools.
Blue Angel Connect was created six years ago by 16-year-old Nicole Burris, who was motivated to start a police-driven holiday gift-giving program to show children the positive side of law enforcement.
“She wanted to change the perception of how the public looks at cops,” said her dad, Brent Burris, who retired as a detective with the Shirley Police Department last year.
Nicole created the program when she was just 11 years old to support cops police officers like her dad, who now serves as vice president of Blue Angel Connect.
Holiday Hope is one of her favorite events of the year.
“I love to see the looks on the kids’ faces when they get their gifts,” Nicole said on Saturday, as she and her parents and other volunteers waited for the families to arrive.
The mother of one of the families — Michelle Perr — recognized Nicole from Mt. Vernon High School, where Perr works in the cafeteria as a cashier.
It wasn’t until Nicole was introduced to the group that she learned the teen was responsible for making this Christmas much more merry.
“Once I found out I went up to her and thanked her. It was pretty emotional. There were a few tears from both of us,” Perr said.
As the mother of a 13-year-old son and 18-year-old daughter, Perr has struggled to provide for her family this year.
The looks on her kids’ faces when they saw the bounty of gifts warmed her heart beyond measure, she said.
“If it weren’t for this program, there wouldn’t have been much of a Christmas at our house,” said Perr, who expressed gratitude for Blue Angel Connect’s abundance of support, which included two boxes of food for Christmas dinner.
Heather McVicker was equally moved by the outpouring of generosity on Saturday, when she and her boyfriend brought their blended family of five kids, ages 5 through 11.
The Blue Angel Connect program will certainly make the holidays brighter for the family, who has been struggling financially this year.
“It’s amazing the community would do this for us,” said McVicker, as her family enjoyed lunch while at the firehouse.
After lunch, Burris and the Blue Angel Connect group had a surprise.
They pulled back a wall partition on one end of the room to reveal eight long tables arranged in a semicircle, each stacked with gifts specially selected for each family. Each stack was wrapped in a different type of gift wrap, with a different family’s name posted at each one.
Much to the children’s chagrin, the parents all planned to have their kids wait until Christmas morning to tear through the wrapping paper.
“We have the gifts hidden away in a good spot,” Perr said.
While this year’s gift giveaway was held at the Buck Creek Township firehouse in Mt. Comfort, Burris said past giveaways have taken place at recipients’ homes.
“We normally show up at their homes unannounced, with our lights and sirens going. People wonder what’s going on until they see Santa get out of the car,” said Burris, who lives in McCordsville.
No matter where the families receive their gifts, Burris said there’s always an abundance of gratitude and happy tears.
“That’s why we do it,” he said.
Holiday Hope is Blue Angel Connect’s main initiative, although it helps out in other ways too.
The organization — a collaboration of local law enforcement and other organizations — was formed to serve the community and shine a positive light on local police officers, which was Nicole’s intention all along.
“I wanted the community to see all the good that the police do,” she said.
In the fall, Blue Angel Connect played host to a chili cook-off to raise funds to support its Holiday Hope program.
The organization has also hosted a Kamp with the K9s program to raise funds for the care of police canines, and has renovated the memorial honoring Hancock County Sheriff’s Capt. Malcolm Grass, who was killed in the line of duty in 1986.
Burris said the organization couldn’t do all it does without the support of local businesses.
“It’s all about the community helping out and serving the community,” Burris said.
How you can help
More information about Blue Angel Connect and the causes it supports is available at the group’s website: www.blueangelconnect.org.
