Phoenix police association donates school supplies to students, teachers

PHOENIX — A police association donated backpacks stuffed with school supplies to students and gift bags to teachers in Phoenix on Wednesday.

“We think it’s important for police to go out and impact the community in a positive way,” Ken Crane, the president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association, said.

“This is one of the ways that we, as police officers, and our association, PLEA, can give back to the community.”

The donation was made to students who attend preschool through fifth grade at Sunridge Elementary School, located near 67th Avenue and Roosevelt Street.

“Each student got … spiral notebooks, folders, pens, markers, crayons,” Principal Chad Ostrom said. “I’m happy for the students. They were so excited and grateful.”

But the students weren’t the only ones who received a gift. Teachers were given gift bags.

“Anything from paper clips to glue sticks to hand sanitizer [or] cleaning supplies,” Ostrom said. “Stuff that, a lot of times, teachers are just buying out of their own pockets to supply their classrooms.”

The donation from PLEA’s nonprofit arm, PLEA Charities, was made possible in part by Walmart.

“One of our board members has a pretty good relationship with Walmart,” Crane said. “[The store] donated roughly $5,000 worth of supplies to make this charity event happen.”

PLEA Charities is funded through events, donations and officer contributions.

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