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Stafford restaurant, sheriff's office make holidays bright Date published: 1/3/2006
RLENE DOUGHERTY began her Christmas preparations in early fall, working for a shopping spree she didn't attend.
The part-owner of Dougherty's Tavern, a Stafford County restaurant, organized a motorcycle ride and silent auction to raise money for the Sheriff's Office Shop With a Cop program. She held the ride and auction Oct. 9, hoping to raise $4,000. "I just wanted to make sure the kids get to go shopping," Dougherty said. In the annual program, officers take less-fortunate children shopping for Christmas. Darrell English, with the sheriff's crime prevention unit, said that the Sheriff's Office gives each child $100. The children can spend $25 on a toy and the rest goes to clothes and a present for one of their family members. Dougherty and the staff at her restaurant have raised money for the program in previous years. They raised about $3,000 last year. She hoped to do better this year. The restaurant provided breakfast for a few motorcycle rides held throughout the year to benefit other organizations. She said that the restaurant donated the food and gave all of the proceeds from the $5 they charged for each breakfast to the Shop With a Cop program. This year, the restaurant held its own bike ride and held a silent auction with items and gift certificates donated by area restaurants, stores and hotels. The combination of breakfasts, bike ride and silent auction netted $6,000. Dougherty collected the last of the money by Halloween and dropped it off at the Sheriff's Office in early November. She wanted to make sure the sheriff would have enough time to find children. English said that Sheriff Charles Jett gets in touch with the county's Social Services Department to find participants. This year, he also worked with Olde Forge Junction, an association for the children of the Olde Forge neighborhood. Stafford Baptist Church donated a school bus, English said, and they picked 37 kids up at the playground at Olde Forge at 7:30 a.m. The children and 15 officers rode to the Ferry Farm Wal-Mart, where the kids met Santa Claus and went shopping, buying toys, clothes and even the occasional coffee pot, English said. Dougherty and her pals raised so much money this year that there was an excess. Capt. David Decatur said, "It will go to a program to help children in need." To reach AMY FLOWERS UMBLE:
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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