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Coat drives help others in memory of fallen Omaha police officer
Two elementary schools in the Papillion La Vista Community Schools brought students together to collect children coats for those who need them this winter – all in the name of a fallen Omaha Police Department officer.
Both Portal Elementary School and Carriage Hill Elementary School brought in more than a hundred coats each to benefit the Lydia House as part of the Kerrie On 4 Kids Coat Drive in memory of Omaha Police Officer Kerrie Orozco.
Both drives were part of a larger push across the metropolitan area by Strength Behind the Blue, a group for Omaha Police Department spouses and significant others, which has launched a new “Kids Behind the Blue” effort to involve children in supporting local law enforcement.
Annie Smith, co-founder of Strength Behind the Blue, said the Papillion La Vista Community Schools, along with the broader community, has been an important partner for the coat drive effort and in supporting police officers.
“We are very humbled to have this partnership with the Papillion-La Vista community,” Smith said. “It just means the world to us. It is important that we continue to give back to our community and show that we aren’t going to be deterred.”
The aim of the drive was to help children who need winter clothing as well as to bring awareness to the important role of law enforcement. Boxes to collect the coats were overflowing on Tuesday, Nov. 16, as parent volunteers stopped by the school to collect the donations.
Two local TV stations broadcast segments on the coat drive at Portal. Click here for KMTV’s story, and click here for WOWT’s story. A story on Carriage Hill’s drive is forthcoming from the Papillion Times.