Walk With Cops celebrates successful year at Christmas Party

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The popular Walk With Cops program, a fun-filled event that affords Johnston Police Department personnel a chance to interact with the town’s senior citizens, closed out 2014 on a high note.

“Another year went by, and our Christmas Party was a great way to end the year,” Marie Conti, who works in the department’s Community Policing Division and with the Walk With Cops program, said last Thursday morning amid the merriment going on inside the Johnston Senior Center. “For us, this was an awesome time.”

Conti was speaking of each and every volunteer – from Police Chief Richard S. Tamburini, who initiated the program 19 years ago, to ladies like Camie Corrente and Robin D’Alessio – who takes pride and gives their personal time to serve Johnston’s seniors.

In fact, many of the department’s high-ranking officers – such as Maj. Joseph Razza, Capt. Thomas Dolan, Capt. Matt LeDuc, Capt. Richard Norato, Sgt. Troy Maddocks and Patrolman Chuck Psilopoulos – played the role of special servers and went from table-to-table making sure each and every attendee had whatever breakfast items they needed.

“I love this,” Tamburini said while serving slices of a cheesecake that was made especially by Tibby Michelli. “This is all about connecting with our senior citizens.”

And, as many will attest, few local police departments do it better than Johnston’s.

Each and every one of the department’s staffers that was on hand served a variety of pastry, donuts, fruit platter, crackers and cheese and banana graham pudding parfait – also made by Michelli – during the gathering.

But Tamburini’s troupe did much, much more last Thursday in the season’s finale.

“Each and every senior will receive gifts like jewelry, shaving lotion and body spray,” Conti said. “And the chief will also present special certificates of appreciation in recognition of helping the Walk With Cops program.”

Tamburini personally presented those certificates to representatives from Cherry Hill Manor, Briarcliffe Manor and The Bridge at Cherry Hill – just to name a few – along with Corrente, D’Alessio and longtime volunteer Chris Giardina.

It all happened at tables that were decked out in special Christmas decorations, courtesy of the program and the ever-creative Conti, who loves “going all out for our senior citizens.”

And, as Tamburini so well noted during the morning’s celebration, it’s all made possible by Dunkin’ Donuts on Route 44 in Johnston, Brewed Awakenings, Cherry Hill Manor, The Bridge at Cherry Hill, Briarcliffe Manor and Simmonsville Center.

The Walk With Cops program will resume in the spring when the weather is more conducive. The program invites seniors to walk around Johnston War Memorial Park with Tamburini and a host of police personnel.

And for people like Conti, Corrente and D’Alessio – and many others – the warm weather can’t come fast enough.

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