IBEW/NECA Partnership Donates $3,000 to The 2014 "Shop with a Cop" program.

To Help Brighten the Holidays for 500 Needy Children

FARMINGTON, MO. — On Dec 19, 2014, the nation’s largest “Shop with a Cop” program found law enforcement officers brightening the holidays for 500 disadvantaged children in St. Francois County, Mo. Officers with the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Department and other police agencies led children on a day of holiday gift shopping using community donations, including $3,000 from the Electrical Connection, a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local One and the St. Louis Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA). In its 22-year-long commitment to “Shop with a Cop,” the Electrical Connection and its members have donated $51,000 to the program.

“The Electrical Connection has long been a valuable community partner in supporting the ‘Shop with a Cop’ program,” said St. Francois County Sherriff Dan Bullock. “When neighbor helps neighbor as the IBEW/NECA partnership has done for many years, it makes our entire community stronger.” “Shop with a Cop” is sponsored by the St. Francois County Sheriff’s Association and for 22 years has brought holiday cheer to thousands of children in low-income families. “It is a remarkable example of the many ways law enforcement gives back to the communities it serves,” said Danny Miller, owner of Farmington-based Total Electric, a member of the Electrical Connection. “While the officers use the donations to purchase gifts, I’ve also seen them reach into their own pockets to pay for something extra just to bring a smile to the face of a child.”

“It is a privilege to support ‘Shop with a Cop,’ noted Frank Jacobs, IBEW Local One business manager. “There are families hurting in our community. ‘Shop with a Cop’ has for a long time built trust and hope in the community by supporting those most in need.” In addition to Shop with a Cop, the Electrical Connection has helped communities in other ways including support for Rebuilding Together, Habitat for Humanity, National Night Out and other programs.

“Our contractors and electricians build the communities we serve in more ways than electrical and communications improvements,” said Doug Martin, executive vice president, St. Louis Chapter, NECA. “We have a stake in building healthy communities and sometimes that begins with supporting incredible acts of kindness by law enforcement that brighten the holidays.”

Members of the Electrical Connection provide safe and reliable electrical construction, maintenance, repair and replacement services across eastern Missouri.