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A 4-year-old California girl awoke on December 16 to find that some very mean people had destroyed her family’s outdoor Christmas decorations. The criminals (who should have DEFINITELY received coal in their stockings) cut the power cords to the inflatables and spray painted them, including the little girl’s favorite, “Chase” from “Paw Patrol.”
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In their town of Simi Valley, just outside of Los Angeles, news spreads fast on social media. Simi Valley Police Department Property Officer Kristen Mesa saw posts about the incident on social media and was touched, and when she reported to work the next day she saw photographs taken by the officer who had investigated. She couldn’t bear to see this little girl’s Christmas ruined and put together an informal fundraiser, taking up donations from other SVPD officers to hopefully replace the $60 “Chase.”
She met that goal – and then some. With the $225 her colleagues contributed, Mesa ordered the Chase inflatable and, since it was on backorder, several “Paw Patrol” toys for the girl. She set up a time to deliver gifts to the family.
As a surprise, Property Officer Mesa made arrangements for K9 Officer Jason Wilkinson to accompany her with his partner “Titan” to deliver the gifts. As an added bonus “Titan” closely resembles “Chase.”
It was a joyous day for the little girl when Mesa, Wilkinson, and Titan arrived at her Simi Valley home..
Courtesy Simi Valley Police Department
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Property Officer Mesa didn’t tell the higher-ups in the department what she was doing, but quietly found a way to make a huge difference in a family’s Christmas celebration.
…[T]his story only came to the Department’s attention because of a third party. Property Officer Mesa did not make any effort to bring attention to herself, keeping her fundraising very low key. Property Officer Mesa has a huge heart and as soon as “Chase” is delivered she will personally be delivering him to the family.
Instead of a little girl learning at far too young an age how despicable people can be, she learned that while some people are mean and nasty, there are always people looking to help.
Jennifer Van Laar, RedState's Managing Editor, is an unapologetic California conservative, sports fanatic, mom of three boys, and Gramie to two perfect little girls. She holds a bachelor's degree from Boston University, where she studied international relations and became a die hard hockey fan. Prior to entering journalism in 2014, she was a court reporter for 20 years in the criminal and civil courts of North Carolina. She joins The Inland Empire Answer on Salem Radio Network's AM 590 The Answer every Thursday for "Spill The Tea Thursday." Follow her work on Facebook and Twitter. Story tips: [email protected].
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