By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
Blue lights gleaming and Christmas tunes blaring, a squad of police cars poured Monday into the parking lot of an Arkadelphia government housing complex.
As the line of patrol cars came to a stop, a little girl of 7 or 8 years old sauntered shyly out of an apartment, her mother behind her, as the officers, each of them bearing gifts, greeted her at the sidewalk. The little girl’s eyes widened as she unwrapped one package, hugging the stuffed animal she discovered inside.
The little girl was one of about 430 youth in Clark County who were recipients of gifts made possible by either Santa Express or Junior Auxiliary of Arkadelphia — charitable organizations that aspire each year to make Christmas a reality for all children.
“There’s no reason a child has to wake up on Christmas morning with no gifts.” — Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson
Junior Auxiliary’s Angel Tree project served 406 local children in 2024. Santa Express, known formerly as Shop With a Cop until the pandemic shifted the program, served dozens of others. Each child received multiple gifts that included toys, clothes and/or a bicycle.
In Arkansas, where an estimated 41% of households struggle to make ends meet and the child poverty rate holds at a steady 22% (the sixth highest in the nation), it’s organizations like Junior Auxiliary and Santa Express that bring joy to kids on Christmas. While Santa Express is funded by local benefactor Percy Malone, JA’s program relies on donors who select tags from an Angel Tree, found at select businesses in Arkadelphia, and purchase gifts on the child’s wishlist.
Year after year, hundreds of Clark County residents either donate or shop for recipients, according to JA’s Angel Tree coordinator Donna Sparks. It’s because of that giving spirit that all local children have gifts for Christmas.
“It’s overwhelming sometimes what people will do for kids,” Sparks said, adding a story of one lady who drove to Little Rock just to buy a toy chainsaw one child had wanted but couldn’t be found on store shelves in the area. Realizing what lots of kids want for Christmas, Southwest Auto Collection funded the purchase of more than 80 bicycles for the 2024 holiday. Sparks said the donation made it possible to gift a bicycle to every child who requested one.
In the days leading up to Christmas, Sheriff Jason Watson refers to his office as The North Pole, a sort of headquarters where toy and clothing donations, as well as purchases made by funding from Santa Express, are sorted before they’re distributed to boys and girls throughout the county. With the help of Sgt. Alvin Johnson and Arkadelphia Police Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson, the law enforcement agencies partner with Junior Auxiliary to ascertain every need is met.
JA uses a local church to headquarter its operation, where hundreds of gifts are stored until a scheduled date is set for parents to pick them up. With Santa Express, police join other holiday shoppers in search of the items kids want for Christmas. After a shopping spree this past weekend, the sheriff showed The Arkadelphian a receipt as long as Santa’s list — an example, he said, of how the partnership with JA makes sure Christmas is enjoyed by all.
“We all go through difficult times,” Watson said. “There’s no reason a child has to wake up on Christmas morning with no gifts or anything from Santa.”
Back at the housing complex, the little girl at the beginning of our story cupped her hands over a sweet smile, looking back in awe at mom, as an officer wheeled over a new bicycle. She climbed atop and pedaled away — her Christmas now one to remember.
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