Smyrna’s hometown heroes to help make local children’s holidays brighter during ‘Shop With a Hero’

Smyrna’s local heroes will brighten the holidays of 90 area schoolchildren and their families during the annual Shop With a Hero event in early December.

For more than 20 years, the Smyrna Fire and Police departments have collaborated with the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation to organize Shop With a Hero.

On Dec. 8, Smyrna police, fire and paramedics will shop with 90 students from eight Smyrna-area elementary schools at a local Walmart. Each child will receive $250 to buy essential items and toys for themselves and their family.

To donate to the event, please visit https://fundraise.givesmart.com/e/nOu7rw?vid=1n6305.

“This event shows the power of community and what a community can accomplish when it comes together to ensure everyone has the best holiday season possible,” said Denise Czarnik, Executive Director of the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation. “Our first responders are the backbone of Smyrna, and this program is the true embodiment of the holiday season. The children leave with gifts for their families, joy in their hearts, and an experience they won’t forget.”

The Smyrna Public Safety Foundation is again teaming up with the Atlanta Braves and their “Season of Giving,” presented by Truist, to amplify the holiday spirit across the local community.

School counselors select children to participate in the event. The students are paired with a uniformed firefighter, police officer or paramedic and spend a morning at Walmart shopping for necessities and gifts for themselves and their families.

After shopping, the Atlanta Braves Foundation will host the students and their chaperones at Truist Park for a series of special activities, including a catered lunch, photos with Santa, holiday-inspired arts and crafts, and more. Participating students will also receive Braves gifts and a holiday meal kit from the team.

“We are incredibly thankful for our public safety servants and their contributions across our communities, and are proud to collaborate with them in a variety of ways that help us build community through baseball,” said Danielle Bedasse, Atlanta Braves Vice President of Community Affairs and Executive Director of the Atlanta Braves Foundation. “This year, as part of our Season of Giving presented by Truist, we are honored to sponsor and host again the Shop With a Hero event here at Truist Park and bring some extra holiday cheer to our community together.”

The Smyrna Public Safety Foundation raises money year-round for Shop With a Hero. The Atlanta Braves Foundation will also be providing a meal packet, packaged together by Braves front office volunteers, for the children to take home for their families.

“Bringing the students to Truist Park will cap an extraordinary day, and it is a great reminder of what this season means,” said Paul Powers, owner of Powers Electrical Solutions and chair of the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation board. “We couldn’t make this event happen without the partnerships of organizations like the Atlanta Braves Foundation, the community for ensuring that the students participating have the holiday they deserve, and most of all, our first responders, who are the true embodiment of the community, which wouldn’t be the same without them.”

While Shop With a Hero is not open to the public, the community can participate by donating to the Smyrna Public Safety Foundation at smyrnapsf.org or by mail to P.O. Box 2216, Smyrna, GA 30081. Donations to the 501(c)3 organization are tax-deductible.

For more information, visit SmyrnaPSF.org.