Neighbors honored for helping neighbors

Maybe it’s Alaska’s harsh climate, its youth as a state or its remote location that set it a part and account for its differences.

But whatever the reason, we consider it a privilege to live in a community that takes pride in helping. Here we help each other. Covering Valley news, we see examples of neighbor helping neighbor daily, weekly, monthly.

Still, we are pleased when the efforts of our do-gooding neighbors are recognized at the state level as shining examples of Alaska’s best.

This week, Palmer Police Officer Donna Anthony received a First Lady’s Volunteer of the Year Award for her work creating and running the Santa Cop program. The Valley’s Mari Jo Parks also received a Lifetime Achievement award in 2010 from the same program for her work with the Special Santa program — another grassroots example of neighbor helping neighbor.

We’ve covered Santa Cop since Anthony founded it. But back then we couldn’t take her picture for a story because she was working undercover for the Mat-Su Narcotics Team.

Anthony, who now works patrol with the Palmer Police Department, told us a few years back the program began as an outreach project, a way to show the community that cops aren’t just hard-nosed enforcers looking to bust you at the slightest provocation.

At first, the idea was to gather toys to share with children who wouldn’t otherwise have any under the Christmas tree. But Anthony quickly realized that Parks’ Special Santa program already had that covered.

Instead, Anthony adapted her idea to address a routine need she saw among senior citizens with no family nearby.

So Santa Cop became a senior outreach program, delivering presents, a hot meal, and a heaping helping of holiday cheer to vulnerable citizens.

Santa Cop has since morphed into Santa Cop and Heroes, a name change that reflects the involvement of numerous firefighters and medics in making those yuletide rounds.

That those visitors show up in uniform is by design. Anthony said she’d considered opening the program up to civilians, but uniforms go a long way toward overcoming a senior’s reluctance to open the door.

The program started with deliveries to just 20 seniors in 2007 and grew to include more than 100 seniors this year from Sutton to Talkeetna. Even the Anchorage Police Department is on board.

And it’s also grown into a year-round organization that helps seniors with chores, like plowing their driveways, and helping them pay their utility bills.

But as Anthony is quick to point out, none of this would be possible without the dozens of uniformed volunteers from across the Valley.

It is a blessing to live in a community with such a generous spirit that willingly supports worthy organizations like Santa Cop and Special Santa, and to know that everything donated stays here to help our neighbors.