Foster families in the South Plains were invited to a birthday party hosted by law enforcement and the Lubbock Victim Assistance Services, to celebrate children in the foster care system and to build on the relationships they have with officers.
“We’re here for them, the community is here for them and I think it makes a big difference in that child’s life,” Pam Alexander Schneider said. She is with Lubbock Victim Assistance Services and the Lubbock Child Welfare Board.
Schneider said this party was created a few years ago when she saw a common thread between all children who enter the foster care system.
“When a child is taken out of a home, even though they don’t realize it’s not a good home, when they’re taken out, there’s always a uniform officer there,” Schneider said. “That’s a very negative thing for that child, not realizing that that officer is a daddy, a mommy, a sister or brother.”
She said she organized a meeting with the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Public Safety to create a birthday party where officers are paired with children for the afternoon. The goal is to change the child’s attitude toward law enforcement.
“It’s amazing,” Schneider said. “You see the child come in and they’re like, ‘No, no, I don’t want to be with an officer.’ Ten minutes later, you see them holding that officer’s hand and laughing.”
The next birthday party will be hosted at the Southcrest Baptist Church on Saturday, May 4.
