YAKIMA, Wash.- Since August 20, the Yakima Sparkles have been going around the Yakima Valley, asking the community to show their appreciation for first responders.
“We provided the cards and all they had to do was write a message or even just sign their name,” said Sparkles director, Sabrina Hutton.
Hutton and her Sparkles, a group of 11 young girls as part of the Miss Yakima County Pageant, set out to get as many cards signed as possible, but initially didn’t have high expectations.
“At first, I didn’t even set a goal,” says Hutton. “It was just ‘see what happens.'”
The Sparkles’ annual community service project quickly picked up steam with cards and donations rolling in. Seeing the progress, Hutton and her Assistant Director, Melissa Wasley, decided to raise the bar.
“How many cards did we set the goal at?” asked Hutton to her team. “A thousand cards. Did we meet that goal? Yes, we did.”
They met that goal by a wide margin. 1,130 cards signed by both the Sparkles and the community.
“I said thank you for helping us out and our community,” said Sparkle Chloe Benscoter.
That number was enough for the Sparkles to hand-deliver the cards, along with donations of snacks and drinks, to nine different agencies.
The Sparkles were welcomed in by the West Valley Fire Department to share the moment with agencies including the Yakima, Selah and Zillah Police and Fire departments, Yakima County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol.
The representatives from the agencies spent the evening interacting with the Sparkles, sharing cake, refreshments and conversation.
“They get to see us in person,” says Yakima County Sheriff Robert Udell. “Not in our patrol cars or on crime sites, they get to see us and talk to us and relationships are formed.
Udell says his Sheriff Deputies will appreciate the gifts from the young girls, providing them with the extra motivation they may need to get through a shift.
“It’s really cool,” says Sheriff Udell. “We take them back to our squad and we put them out on the desk and the guys will get to look at them. It helps, you know, keeps us doing what we’re doing.”
While YCSO is always open to appreciation from the community, the effort from the 4-11-year-olds means just a little bit more.
“They’re the future of our country and to see them appreciate all first responders, it’s pretty heartwarming,” says Udell.
The collection of cards and donations is part of the Sparkles’ annual community service project. Hutton says when planning out the project, the girls wanted to do something that benefits their neighborhoods.
“I believe that giving back to the community is very, very important, and instilling that in our youth is also very important,” says Hutton.
The Sparkles say the opportunity to interact with the people they can call heroes, was intimidating at first, but they came around and enjoyed themselves.
“It was truly a great experience, and it was fun,” said Sparkle Lilly Lutrtrell.
