Dover- This Christmas holiday was extra special this year for a Dover family after receiving the gift of “Operation Save Christmas,” which was created by two Delaware State Troopers. 

Cpl/1 Kevin Schrader and TFC Courtney Aquino both assigned to Delaware State Police Troop 3, had the opportunity to meet the family during a call for service recently. Through their interaction with the family, the troopers learned the 4-year-old female and 5-year-old male children had never experienced the magic of Christmas the way many children are fortunate to.

After handling and clearing the call for service, the troopers felt they needed to do more to help these children and family have a magical Christmas. Cpl/1 Schrader and TFC Aquino knew during a pandemic receiving donations would be difficult, but they were up for the challenge. Through a social media post, the community had an opportunity to learn about Operation Save Christmas and the troopers’ goal of giving these children a Christmas as they have never been able to experience. The community’s response and the outpouring of support were more successful than the troopers could have imagined. 

With the donations raised, new toys, educational books, bicycles, two twin size bed sets, and non-perishable food items were purchased for the family. On December 21, 2020, in addition to Cpl/1 Schrader and TFC Aquino, additional troopers assigned to Troop 3 helped this Christmas be a magical one for the children. Santa (played by Delaware State Trooper Cpl/3 Roy Bryant) even made a special visit to help deliver the children’s gifts.

With the community’s overwhelming support, an additional $315.00 was donated to Delaware State Police Troop 9, who adopted a Dover family to help them have a Merry Christmas.   

Through this chance encounter, the troopers are inspired to continue their mission in the future to help other Kent County families in need, and as a result, “Operation Save Christmas” was born.

The Delaware State Police would like to thank everyone who helped make “Operation Save Christmas” a huge success and wish the citizens of Delaware a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season.

You can follow the Delaware State Police by clicking on:

Delaware State Police Official Web Site

Facebook

Twitter

Nextdoor

Please tell us how we’re doing via our Citizen Satisfaction Survey.

Presented by Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Heather Pepper

Released: 122420 1145

-End-

Print This Page