Children Treated to School Shopping

It’s an American ritual as old as the public school system, the annual fall trek to buy new clothes, pencils and paper before the start of the new school year.

Members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Northridge-Chatsworth Rotary Club maintain that new supplies are more than just a luxury: They can also be a part of building a child’s self-esteem. And too many Los Angeles children have never known the excitement of the back-to-school shopping trip, they say.

To that end, 25 children from the Junior Watch program at the LAPD’s Devonshire station were treated to a shopping spree, with help from the Northridge-Chatsworth Rotary Club, the Police Activity League Supporters and Mervyn’s.

Each child picked out $46 worth of clothing and also received a new backpack containing a notebook, paper, pencils and a ruler.

Kathy, 11, walked through rack after rack of frilly dresses and bright print shorts, searching for the perfect items.

“My parents don’t take me shopping that much,” she said. “I like to look nice, especially for my first year at junior high.” She ran her choices--a pair of shorts, undergarments, a shirt and a pair of jeans--by her friends, and Officer Sally Barnes, who created the Junior Watch program for at-risk children.

“With all these new clothes and supplies,” Barnes told them, “I expect to see report cards coming in with outstanding grades.”