By Mike Pound

mpound@joplinglobe.com

CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — Police Chief Delmar Haase, while quietly confident, admits to getting a little nervous this time of the year.

After all, Haase and his officers want to raise about $15,000 in the next month or so. If they don’t, Christmas might not be as bright for some area children. The Carl Junction Police Department, along with its counterparts in nearby communities, is in the middle of fund-raising efforts for its annual “Shop with a Cop” program.

“We always manage to get there, but it’s always a little stressful,” Haase said.

The program provides eligible children with a Christmas shopping spree. The children, selected through a partnership with the Carl Junction R-1 School District, are given $100 to spend at the Wal-Mart store at 15th Street and Range Line Road in Joplin. Haase said the children are free to spend the money any way they like.

“A lot of times the children, instead of spending the money on themselves, will buy presents for brothers or sisters, or for their parents,” he said. “So we do insist that they at least purchase one gift for themselves.”

Last year, the Carl Junction Police Department assisted a record 145 children. Haase said the department would like, at the very least, to match last year’s numbers.

He said the department has received donations from residents and the business community in the past, and Joplin-area attorneys have long supported the program. The Carl Junction School District is another strong supporter, with students, faculty and staff teaming up to raise money. Many students, without being aware of it, raise money for their own classmates, he said.

Haase said he understands that the slowing economy may make it difficult for some to donate this year.

“But that also means that there will be more families who need help,” he said.

Carl Junction’s shopping spree will take place Dec. 20. In addition to members of the Carl Junction Police Department, law-enforcement personnel from other agencies and an army of other volunteers will be on hand to shop with the children.

Haase said his department has sent out letters seeking donations. The department does not solicit donations over the phone, he said. Donations may be taken to the Carl Junction Police Department or mailed to the department at P.O. Box 447, Carl Junction, MO 64834.