Kids bond with Coral Springs officers at police camp for underserved students
Card games, crafting and soccer matches are part of the job for some Coral Springs police officers involved in the department’s cornerstone youth program this summer.
“A lot of [the kids] don’t realize we’re regular people, too,” School Resource Officer Brian Gasper told the Coral Springs News on Wednesday, while on a break from a marathon UNO game with his campers.
“They kind of forget we’re police officers. They just think of us as counselors,” he said. “It opens up the conversation.”
At the Coral Springs Police Department’s 10th annual summer camp, kids don’t just form a bond with the officers they see at their schools — they also get to have fun and access free resources for the school year ahead.
“We want the kids to see police in a different light,” Police Chief Brad Mock said. “We want them to see who we are as people and what we can do for them.”
The undertaking began in 2015 as a free lunch program and operated out of a local church.
Officers in the Community Involvement Unit realized how much need existed in the city, and by summer 2016 had expanded the offering to include sports, activities, mentorship, field trips and access to additional resources.
About 100 students participate every year, according to Mock. Camp runs three days a week, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., for 10 weeks.
At the end of summer, kids go back to school with free backpacks, school supplies, uniforms and shoes, sponsored by local churches, plus books, vision and dental checkups, and prescription glasses for those who need them.
Community Involvement Coordinator Monica Vargas said she has seen the positive impact the resources have on students.
“We have one little girl that we didn’t understand, she could not read, and we had a tutor coming in, tutoring her, and tutoring her. She was like, ‘I can’t pinpoint it, but she can read some words and not others, and I don’t get it,’” Vargas recalled. “And sure enough, when Heiken (Children’s Vision Program staff) examined her, she needed glasses.”
School resource officers, counselors and social workers refer students to the program — often those facing loss, poverty, housing and food insecurity, domestic violence, serious illness or other difficult life circumstances.
Gasper, a 19-year veteran with the department and school resource officer at Coral Springs Charter School, says bonding with kids can help them stay on the right path.
He grew up in the Bronx and Staten Island, and he credits his basketball coaches and teachers with guiding him. He said he wants to continue that legacy.
“If we’re in art, I make sure I go around each table and see what they’re doing, and I participate, and I show them what I do,” he said. “So it’s just making it fun for the kids, and something that they look forward to.”
The police department’s camp is for school-age children under 12. But that doesn’t mean support from officers suddenly disappears.
Community Involvement Unit officer Hannah Rincon launched the Lunch Bunch for middle schoolers, inviting students to connect with law enforcement over Publix sandwiches and pizza.
High schoolers can also enroll in the Police Explorers program, which teaches teenagers the core skills needed to become an officer, firefighter or paramedic.
“We really do put our heart and soul into this camp,” Rincon said. “We put it into every program that we do, to make sure that those in our community who need the help get that help.”
Those interested in applying for next summer’s camp can contact the Coral Springs Police Department Community Involvement Unit for more information.
