Dec 15, 2020

Hays community organizations partner for 'Shop with a Cop'

Posted Dec 15, 2020 12:01 PM
Demetrius Chance speaks at a Can You See Me event. He created the group in February and has sponsored several events, including Shop with a Cop. (Courtesy Photo)
Demetrius Chance speaks at a Can You See Me event. He created the group in February and has sponsored several events, including Shop with a Cop. (Courtesy Photo)

By JAMES BELL
Hays Post

Soon, 20 families in need will be given a very special holiday gift though a partnership between Can You See Me?, the Schmidt Foundation and the United Way of Ellis County for the first Ellis County Shop with a Cop.

On Sunday and Monday, the families will be given an allotted amount of money to purchase whatever they need for the holidays at the Walmart, 4301 Vine.

While sharing the name with a popular national program, organizer Demetrius Chance said locally he wanted to do more, especially with ongoing tensions surrounding police and issues of racial inequality across the U.S.

“Rather than give a child $100 to go buy a Christmas present, we thought about doing an event that would give a family an allotted amount of money and then the family can actually go to Walmart and the parents can buy food, clothing or basic necessities for that household and then we have actually reached out to the local police departments to have the officers come,” Chance said.

Creating a positive perception of police officers for some, and in general, bringing communities together is a goal of the program, while also helping those in need in Ellis County.

“I wanted to change that dynamic and change how people are viewed and how people view police altogether,” Chance said.

Bill Oyet, Demetrius Chance and William Charles — organizers of the first Ellis County Shop with a Cop. (Courtesy Photo)
Bill Oyet, Demetrius Chance and William Charles — organizers of the first Ellis County Shop with a Cop. (Courtesy Photo)

Together with organizers Bill Oyet and William Charles, Chance sees the program as an opportunity to interact with law enforcement in a positive way.

“I’ve never been able to see the other side of a police officer,” Oyet said. “I’ve never been able to see them as a person, so I think this is a great combination of putting those two problems, those issues, in the light in a positive way.”

He met Demetrius in college and started working on other projects, and officially joined the United Way of Ellis County this year, at first serving as an intern, and now an administrative assistant.

He said growing up he saw first-hand the struggles of being a minority and living in poverty — and never saw programs such as this one bring aid. So with this program, he hopes to give residents an opportunity to see law enforcement interacting with families and youth in a positive manner.

Charles sees the program as a way to help Ellis County residents adapt to a more diverse culture.

“I thought it would be a good project to work on because of my background,” he said.

Charles is from West Palm Beach Florida, a place he described as diverse, and is now a student-athlete at Fort Hays State University.

“Coming here and seeing the dynamic of Hays, I feel that I can build my perspective of being outside and having struggles with all of the hardships that come with being in a diverse community,” he said.

Further, he hopes to change the way area residents view diversity with programs like this one – and others he is involved with on campus.

“So coming to Hays, not a lot of people know how to collaborate with the outside,” he said. “Especially if they are young …,” he said. “Coming to Hays, I feel like it is really ... it’s really a big difference and I feel like I can do a lot of things that will help.”

More help needed

While the program is a way for organizers to bring people in Ellis County together, 20 families will have a holiday experience thanks to the generosity of others in the community, but Chance said the final amount that families will be allotted will depend on donation totals — and there is still time to help.  

Interested parties can apply to be one of the families chosen for the program until Dec. 17.

The program is open to anyone in Ellis County.

With current funding, he said they are looking to help 20 families, but they are open to more if other organizations or individuals sign up to help the group.

“With any additional contributions to this event we could then take those funds and help even more families,” Chance said.

Past this holiday season, Chance hopes the program can continue and to grow in the future.

“Let’s continue, Let’s not stop here,” he said. “We all want to make it better. We all want to change this rhetoric and do something positive for other people.”

This event is not sponsored by the police department, but rather in collaboration with them, so funding from outside groups is critical.

“People are wanting to help others, and wanting to see others get help and start relationships with the local police departments,” Chance said. “We are based on trying unifying this community, all together, no matter the race, sexual orientation, no matter socioeconomic status. It's just about coming together as a community and helping one another.”

Can You See Me comes into its own

Over the course of the year, Can You See Me has grown from an idea and is now a full-fledged program working to find solutions to social problems in the area, including the Shop with a Cop program.

Chance said he is excited for what they have accomplished so far this year and looks forward to even more.

“For it to grow into my own brand and to be able to partner with and meet ... people like Bill and Will who just have that hunger to make a difference in their community and to assist others, it’s pretty much a dream come true and I hope that this continues and that other people catch on to being more open to help others,” he said. “This brand is focused on giving a voice to those that are struggling, those that are faced with adversity and to those that are marginalized.”

He said he wants to find ways to change communities for the better alongside the residents.

“In many situations and opportunities, people of color or people in general are stepping up,” Chance said. “That’s the one thing about 2020 a lot of people are using their voice now, a lot of people are stepping up and saying ‘I don’t want Hays to be the same, I want to make a change, I want to be a part of that change, and I want to be a part of a difference.’ ”

He hopes the Shop with a Cop programs can be a part of that positive change.

“Things have happened where we can make a difference and we were given the opportunity to help others and we are going to do as much as possible and take this as far as possible to help as many people as we can,” Chance said.

For more information about Shop with a Cop, to donate or to considered for the program, contact Chance by phone at  910-336-8597 or by email at [email protected].