SkillsUSA Shops with a Cop for "The Closet"

One of SkillsUSA’s service projects has been to organize and inventory our school’s clothes closet. In the weeks prior to Thanksgiving break, the members have been sorting and cleaning “The Closet” so that any student who might need a replacement pair of pants for one that ripped, an interview outfit, or an article of clothing to remain in dress code might be able to head to “The Closet” to select something suitable to wear.

Our favorite School Resource Officer, Corporal James Hoyland has joined forces with SkillsUSA to make this magic happen. Corporal Hoyland is the type of person who sees a need, and if he can, he does what he can to fill that need. In addition to helping SkillsUSA sell meat sticks and candy bars to pay for competition and make the necessary connections with FFA’s Paws for a Cause and county K-9 teams, Corporal Hoyland made the needed connections with Sergeant Sheila Panella who serves as the New Castle Police community relations officer through the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 21 to coordinate a “Shop with a Cop” field trip on November 22nd for SkillsUSA at Lawrence County CTC.

Shop with a Cop is a traditional way for our law enforcement officers to help kids in need within the community; typically, young people are selected by school guidance counselors to meet with police officers at a store to fulfill a wish list of presents for themselves and family. For the past few years at LCCTC, it’s a slightly different process. Corporal Hoyland works with our SkillsUSA members to restock “The Closet” with the necessary items to ensure that any student can find what they might need.

Thanks to a generous donation from the FOP Lodge 21, randomly-selected senior SkillsUSA Members were eager to fill the school van and make their way to the Beaver Valley Mall for their shopping experience. This year’s main priority was to purchase good-quality socks, jeans, and shirts for both guys and girls at a price that could make the grant last as long as possible.

“We made sure to pick clothes for each size,” states senior SkillsUSA member Lucy Allen from New Castle. “And because our members are so diverse with many different tastes, we are sure to have picked something that everyone might like!”

For Hailey Diffenbacher, HA senior from Mohawk, service is simply what she enjoys. When she graduates, she plans to make service to others her vocation in her future career in the health field. For now, she’ll continue to study healthcare and enjoy SkillsUSA service projects. “It’s really great for us to help our community,” Diffenbacher notes. “So far in shop, I’ve helped with numerous blood drives, a task within my field, and earlier this fall, I helped sand and stain furniture at a camp for individuals who have special needs with SkillsUSA. I love helping people so they don’t have to work so hard to do what they do. Going shopping isn’t really my thing, but I always thought that sanding and staining wouldn’t be as much fun — until I did it. When I was invited to Shop with a Cop, I immediately said yes.”

This is Dan Fornataro’s second SkillsUSA service project, as well. As a senior Peer Leader, he has gained a lot of experience in serving others, so he has grown to really find fun in helping others. “There were two things that stood out to me on this particular service project. First, I always thought that I could eat a lot, but Corporal Hoyland can really put away a pile of rice,” laughs Fornataro, MTT from Ellwood. “The second takeaway was how good it feels to be able to participate in a service project. Typically, I’m not one to do much shopping, but I can say, ‘Yep’ or ‘Mmmm . . . Nope, I don’t think so’ to make sure someone is able to find something they both need and like for the closet. In the end, we all had a lot of fun while doing something to help others.”

For these LCCTC SkillsUSA students, Shop with a Cop was, once again, a great experience! It’s a wonderful program that truly helps students, especially those who are tough on clothes as they learn a worthwhile skill. It is easy to agree:  No student should have to worry about making sure they have what they need for school.  

Thanks to the New Castle Police Department and the FOP Lodge 21, students who work hard to learn their trade can hear the words that Corporal Hoyland shared with the O & C Team that day: