Sheriff’s Santas bring happiness to hurting children

This past Saturday, Dec. 18, 22 children ages 5 to 15 gathered at the Casa Grande Target. All were victims of tragedy in 2010, experiencing the wounds and sorrow of death, murder, theft and fire.

“We have two children participating who lost both parents to a murder-suicide,” said Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu.

Happily, on this day the children did not gather to reflect on tragedies, but to take part in the PCSO’s Sheriff’s Santa Shop program.

The program is in its seventh year and is the brainchild of Maricopa resident and UPS Store owner Taylor Werner.

“I helped with a similar program in Tennessee and thought it was a perfect match for the community when I moved to Maricopa,” he said.

Deputies select children they feel have been hit the hardest by tragedy throughout the year and invite them to meet the weekend before Christmas to go on a $500 shopping spree.

This year, two Maricopa children were selected to take part in the program, including sixth grader Marcos Cano, whose family lost its home to fire the week before Thanksgiving.

“I heard about Marcos’s story through a charity softball game the city hosted for his family,” said PSCO Deputy Leticia Martinez. “After meeting him I could not think of a more deserving person.”

Marcos said he didn’t know what he planned to buy on the shopping trip, but his deputy said the boy’s mother told him to spend all the money on himself.

“I think he is going to buy his mom something special, despite her request,” Martinez said.
When Marcos was seen leaving the store he had in hand an Xbox 360 Kinect along with presents for members of his family.

The money for the program comes from donations made to a nonprofit organization called the Justice Foundation that Werner and the PCSO set up.

“We hold benefit motorcycle runs, golf tournaments and other events to raise money for this program,” Werner said.

Community partners like Target and In and Out Burger also step up to support the cause.

“It is great we can do this and bring some joy to these children,” Babeu said.