I recently met Alysha Barner at the fabric store where I was intrigued by the mountain of fleece she was buying. When I asked about it Alysha explained she was part of a North State group called Spouses Behind the Badge, and she was stocking up on material so they could make more blankets for homeless children. Well, that prompted other questions, which she agreed to answer here at anewscafe.com. Readers, meet Alysha Barner of Spouses Behind the Badge. She grew up in Redding. Her husband works for the Redding Police Department and she works for SHASCOM. They have two children, and love the outdoors.
Q: What is – or, rather, who are Spouses Behind the Badge?
Spouses Behind the Badge is a multi-county, all-volunteer group made up of police officers’ spouses and significant others. The Spouses Behind the Badge group mainly deals with the less fortunate children in the community, and are dedicated to helping homeless children, and assisting children temporarily or permanently displaced from their homes due to domestic violence and other social disturbances. We currently have 45 members.
Q: What’s the story behind Spouses Behind the Badge?
In 2007 my husband and I helped with “Operation Blue Santa” – a program that the Redding Police Department puts on during Christmastime to help out children who may not have a Christmas that year. We were at a local hotel when a 7 year-old little girl came up to the “Santa” and gave him her wish list. This little girl was not on our schedule that day to receive any gifts, but I helped Santa out by taking the list. My husband and I looked at the list, and saw mainly necessities. We knew we needed to help out. Later that night I went shopping and had my husband deliver the gifts when he was working. The family was very appreciative and told my husband that if it was not for us she would have not had a Christmas.
Q: That led to the birthday parties?
That’s right. Three months later when it was that little girl’s birthday we took her a birthday present. The family was so taken back with emotion. The parents told us it meant the world to them that their daughter was able to get a gift on her special day. That is when I started thinking that all parents, no matter what their situation, still want the best for their children. I started talking with shelter workers in Shasta County and found out that a lot of providing for a child staying in a homeless shelter is placed on the shelter workers. I also knew that this offered a great opportunity for Spouses Behind the Badge. I have always looked for a way to help out children in our community and have them look at police officers in a positive way.
Q: So that’s how Operation Blue Birthday was born?
Yes. Spouses Behind the Badge started the non-profit Operation Blue Birthday. When a child in protective custody or in a homeless shelter has a birthday, Operation Blue Birthday arranges a birthday party for the child – complete with birthday cake and gifts that range from necessities (clothing, toiletries, etc.) to fun toys and school supplies. Every child gets a backpack filled with goodies, and they also receive a blanket or quilt of their own. Any siblings or other children at the party get small gifts as well, so no child feels left out.
Police officers and members of Spouses Behind the Badge attend the party, which has proven to be beneficial in helping rid the children of any fear of officers. It’s been extremely satisfying to the officers, as well! The program has been enormously successful and has garnered strong support from the business community as well as the social services network in the area.
Q: How do the recipients of your gifts respond?
The children have responded in a very positive way to every birthday we have done. The parents are very grateful that some of the burden financially has been taken off them. The shelter workers tell us the children talk about it for the week. It makes them feel special in some hard times. When we deliver the gifts we also take a backpack and fill it with the necessities that they may need, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, undergarments, shoes and jackets. We also include in every backpack a homemade blanket and pillow.
Q: Roughly how many children have been helped by your group?
We did about 14 birthdays in 2009. We have also done some other things for children. For example, we provided some bunk beds for children who did not have beds. We also provided back-to-school clothes and supplies for a family.
Q: Can you think of any especially moving situations that validated your groups’ efforts?
Our very first birthday proved to me that what we are doing is what I had dreamed. We were asked to provide a birthday for a little girl who was turning 5. She and her mom had been held hostage by the father the night before. The police had taken the father to jail in front of the little girl, and the mother and daughter found themselves at a shelter the next day.
That day happened to be the little girl’s birthday. The shelter worker told the little girl that we were coming along with a police officer to bring her a birthday surprise. At first, when the little girl was told this by the shelter worker, she had some reservations about the police officer coming. But after we finished the birthday the little girl was so happy. She wanted to go outside with the officer and look at his car, and did not want the officer to leave. The shelter worker told me that now, when the little girl sees a police car, she waves.
It proved to me that the bond between law enforcement and that little girl was strengthened that day.
I knew from that birthday that we would help many more children. We look forward to helping many more families in the future.
Independent online journalist Doni Greenberg founded what’s now known as anewscafe.com in 2007 with her son, Joe Domke of the Czech Republic. Prior to 2007 Greenberg was an award-winning newspaper opinion columnist, feature and food writer recognized by the Associated Press, the California Newspaper Publishers Association and E.W. Scripps. She lives in Northern California in the tiny town of Igo.
