Keeping the Christmas Spirit All Year

Over the weekend, my wife and I were driving around looking at lights and talking about Christmas.  She said one of the things she liked most about the Christmas season is that everyone seems happy and kind to one another.

To be perfectly honest, when she said that, my first thought was about those who never seem to be happy.  Realizing the chronically cranky are few in numbers, I quickly let the thought of them go.

I then thought about law enforcement and how we can tend to see people at their absolute worst.  But the opposite is also true.  In Cherokee County, all year long, I see neighbors helping each other after a flood or house fire or an entire community coming together when a friend gets the devastating news of a life altering illness.  I see your generosity when you offer to pay for a deputy’s lunch and I’m full of pride when I learn a deputy has taken money from his own pocket to purchase groceries for a struggling family.  I see schools organizing volunteer days so students can help clean up parks or rake leaves for an elderly neighbor.  And just last week, as part of the Cherokee County Toybox Program, I got to see the generosity of residents who donated toys for kids who otherwise might not have any gifts to open on Christmas morning.  Unfortunately, there were more kids in need than there were toys, so some very generous residents donated funds to purchase the additional gifts we needed.  Not only that, but when the store manager learned what we were doing, even he pitched in a donation to make sure all the kids would have a better Christmas.

It’s a privilege to serve a community which shows kindness throughout the year, and on behalf of myself and the dedicated men and women of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, we thank you for that honor and we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

God Bless,

Sheriff David Groves