Page 33 - FOP_Magazine_ February2019

“It’s not that we love to do it. It’s terrible that any officer has to go through it,” Haynes submits. “But it’s what we should be doing. We should be there for their families in times of need.”
Lunch with Santa has been a signature event since 1992, when it was first held in the 19th District auditorium. It moved to the academy for a few years and then landed at the FOP Hall, which gets packed with families who stand in line for as long as it takes to get a photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus.
Lunch with the Easter Bunny followed and has become a fa- vorite for its Easter egg hunt. Both events enable kids to interact with the Department K9s and Mounted Unit, and the exuber- ance radiating through the hall is that of a close-knit family.
“Everywhere police officers go these days they have to watch their backs. But at these functions, they can kind of let their guard down,” Martinez relates. “It’s a safe haven. The kids can run around, and they know they’re amongst each other. They don’t have to have their backs against the wall, watching every- thing.”
Keep It in the Family
Mark your calendars now. Lunch with the Easter Bunny is scheduled for April 12. It’s a free event made possible by Lodge 7 and companies like America’s Dog & Burger in Chicago, which provides more than 350 hot dogs at no charge. And if you have a college student, note that applications for a Family Auxiliary scholarship are out and will be awarded in May.
Beyond that, the Family Auxiliary is ready to help whenever the call comes in. After all, this is a group that came in to the FOP Hall to take the photo on the cover of this issue that January night when temperatures hit nine below.
But the Auxiliary needs some help. For starters, if anybody knows of a family in need of anything from a toothbrush to a motorized wheelchair to somebody to talk to about the trials
and tribulations of being in a police family, reach out to Haynes. (That number again is 312-771-0015.)
Additionally, the Auxiliary could use a modern family. New members are needed. Anybody who wants to spread the pride of being a police officer and being in a police family would be a great asset. That would include how many members and their families? All of them?
“After almost 30 years, we could use some new ideas,” Haynes declares. “We need some new police spouses to take over this organization. We really love doing it. You have to want to do it. But we all should want to do it because our police officers and their families need us.”
Clearly, it’s more important than ever to never let them walk alone.
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