Christmas became a lot brighter today for 235 children including many at Fort Campbell. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department, working as “Santa’s Little Helpers”, in cooperation with Eagle 94.3, Dollar General, Ledbetter’s (signs), and Golden Rule completed delivery of hundreds of holiday toys that had been collected from local churches, business and the general public. The beneficiaries of this effort include the Fuel Program, Montgomery County Head Start and the Wounded Warriors.
Thousands of donated items were sorted by age and gender, and every effort was made to get the toys matched up with the individual wishes of the children registered for this program, according to Julie Wright, administrator of the program. In one case, gift wrappers weren’t sure if the child named was a boy or girl, so volunteers packaged gifts for each gender.
Wright explained that the program was their way of saying “thank you” to the soldiers who protect our country just as the Sheriff’s department protects our community.
Sheriff Norman Lewis said “seeing the look on children’s faces as they open their gifts” made all the work and preparation worthwhile. Volunteers have been wrapping and tagging presents 8 hours a day since Monday.
With over one thousand toys leftover, the remainder will be donated to other programs and charities in the community.
Sheriff’s Department Photos by Bill Larson
Sheriff Norman Lewis said “seeing the look on children’s faces as they open their gifts” made all the work and preparation worthwhile.
I wonder if he has thought about the look on the public faces with having 5 people escape his jail since May.
I have no doubt that he is as livid as you or I am. I would bet that a security crackdown is coming at the jail in light of this latest incident. It’s a sign that some people may have become complacent, and that’s a sign that a shakeup may be required. But placing all of the blame directly on Sheriff Lewis’s isn’t constructive nor would it be helpful in rectifying the situation that currently exists at the county jail.
I agree Bill. When an inmate goes through a 4 step process and no one notices its the wrong person being released, the problem is not just a single employee not following orders (as implied by Capt. Tackett in the LC) but the problem seems more systemic. The buck stops at the top; I have confidence that Sheriff Lewis will get to the root of the problem and fix it.