Cedar Rapids police charity funds foster care backpack program

HIAWATHA - One check carried a lot of emotion for Cedar Rapids police officer Charity Hansel.

The 25-year veteran of the department teared up Wednesday as she presented a $5,000 check to staff with UnityPoint Health's Child Protection Center.

'I know how awesome you are,” Hansel said, before hugging Julie Kelly, manager of the Child Protection Center, 1095 N. Center Point Road, Hiawatha.

The money is a donation from the Cedar Rapids Police Protective Charity. The funds will go directly to the Child Protection Center's Foster Care Backpack Program.

'This donation will definitely allow us to fund this program for a year, based on the volume of children we've seen in the past,” Kelly said, noting the Child Protection Center averages about 75 foster care removal exams a year.

The backpack program has been in existence for about five years, Kelly said. When children are removed from their homes and placed into foster care, staff at the center will identify what they need and go shopping for those items, which are then presented to the children in a backpack. Kelly said items in the backpacks typically include two or three outfits, seasonal items like hats and gloves, diapers, personal hygiene items, toys and books. The backpacks and their contents typically run $100 to $250 and are purchased after a child comes to the center.

Kelly said it's heartwarming for the staff to see the looks on children's faces when they are presented with the backpacks. She recalls one young girl who returned to the center for a follow-up visit and was eager to show off the sweater she was wearing that had been part of her backpack.

The Child Protection Center holds a special place in Hansel's heart, who spent 11 years as a sex crime investigator. Hansel said the center provides an indispensable resource to police by specializing in forensic interviews and exams for children and ensuring they get the care they need.

When the police charity formed last fall, Hansel said they wanted to support a specific program at the Child Protection Center. Hansel said that support will go beyond financial contributions as officers plan to deliver backpacks to foster children after they've been purchased.

'We want to be an active part of the community,” she said. 'We want to make sure those kids get what they need.”

l Comments: (319) 398-8238; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com