In the midst of national controversy centered around the fragmentation of the police force, a Santa Clarita 12-year-old has developed “Kids For Cops” an organization showing support for local law enforcement and their service to the community.

Expressing gratitude for Santa Clarita law enforcement officers amidst the negative reputation of law enforcement shaped by the killings of George Floyd and several others, as well as alleged incidents of police brutality, 12-year-old Oren Tikosky began an initiative to remind local police that their service is appreciated.

“I was inspired to do this because of all the controversy about police and how they function, and I noticed almost all police gave their time out of their day and put their lives on the line to protect us,” said Tikosky. “With this in mind, I thought our nations’ youth would be an excellent way to show people we care about the people who put their lives on the line.”

Raising money from local donors through their GoFundMe page to show their thanks for local enforcement, Tikosky and several others have planned to personally deliver pizzas and drinks to deputies alongside their immense gratitude on Friday evening.

“I thought we could show the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s department that we do care, and so I started a GoFundMe page,” stated Tikosky. “But when I realized that people were really into this, I decided to reach out to a couple of pizza places to see if we could get a large corporation to help us. Toppers Pizza jumped on the idea and became a huge help, doing very kind things to help us.”

The Kids For Cops GoFundMe page has raised almost $500 during their first day in operation and continues to receive additional funding from donors.

“With more and more people looking to help us, and immense support within the last couple of days, I realized we didn’t have to just do Santa Clarita,” said Tikosky. “I began to make plans to go all the way to LA and give pizzas and drinks to them.”

Kids For Cops plans to serve pizza to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station on Friday, July 3, and to the California Highway Patrol Newhall Office on Thursday, July 9.

As of Friday, the GoFundMe had raised over $700.

To lend your support, visit Kids For Cops GoFundMe page or visit their website for more information on how to contribute any items instead of a monetary donation.

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