DES MOINES, Iowa — About 80 Iowa Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) cadets are just one week away from graduation. After Dec. 15, they'll each head off to different law enforcement agencies around Iowa to protect and serve.
"Serve", a word Merriam-Webster has many different definitions for, but a word these cadets have internalized the last 16 weeks. It's a word they've put into action this holiday season because it's that important to them.
So on Wednesday night, they decided to bring Christmas a few weeks early to families at Zion Lutheran Church in Beaverdale.
The spoiler alert: Caitlin Whitmore is Santa.
"Shopped our butts off," Whitmore said, a cadet graduating in a week.
Around the church, there are several other "Santas" like her. The "Santas", as people could tell, weren't in red, but they represented the blue.
"We went shopping by dorm rooms, all in groups. Our team had 844 gifts collected," Whitmore said.
She and her fellow ILEA cadets have worked together for weeks as two different teams in a friendly competition to fundraise and buy all the toys, clothing and other gifts for these kids this holiday season.
"It's heartwarming. I love these opportunities and I love to build those relationships with kids, with families in the local areas," she said.
For Whitmore and these cadets, it's about more than buying gifts. It's about learning to build priceless relationships with the communities they'll serve after the academy.
"I think that side of law enforcement is really important," she said.
"We tell them you can't serve a community and expect cooperation if you just take from it, so if you take the time to build relationships with your community, work with the people then you'll be surprised at how they begin to see past the uniform and see the person," said Naimah Sadiq, an instructor at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy.
Even now as an instructor, Sadiq still sees herself in these children because this is where she grew up. And she's proud to be from here.
"In the communities often where there's high crime and poverty, they don't really get to see a lot of the positivity in police so this is two-fold for me to come back and make it full-circle," Sadiq said.
Her time with the cadets comes to an end next Friday when they graduate, but no matter where they end up, they hope to keep passing on the gift of true public service.
"When I think of policing and law enforcement, I think of the community. This is something I'm passionate about," said Whitmore, who will join the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office after graduation.
"This is an opportunity to really give law enforcement a positive presence and get back to the foundation of what the job is about which is service," Sadiq said.
This isn't the only time of year cadets do events like this. Sadiq said they do a few throughout the year and give away other items like school supplies and backpacks.