Grade 9 student Chanaya Paishking pulled herself away from the clothes rack for just a second yesterday morning to describe her CopShop 2010 experience.
“I think it’s pretty awesome,” she said. “You just kind of go for it.”
Like the other well-deserving students taking part in the annual shopping spree, Paishking was paired up with a member of the Calgary Police Service. The 14-year-old wasn’t sure what she wanted to buy, but senior Const. Jacquie Hertlein was there to reassure her.
“You’ll know when you see it,” she said, adding with a laugh, “Clothes, clothes, clothes, necessities can wait.”
Sgt. Gerard Brand, meanwhile, was participating in his first CopShop and set off quickly to help his student partner find a pair of purple high-top shoes.
He said helping students get more accustomed to members in uniform is a major part of the event.
“This gives us an opportunity, especially in this age category, because they generally have suspicions about us,” he said. “This gives us a chance to mitigate that and have some fun.”
