Police officer returns from Paradise after donating sporting equipment
When Capt. Royce Clements heard about the wildfires devastating Paradise, California, he knew people needed help.
He and his son came up with the idea to collect sporting equipment because they knew how important sports are for kids.
“When I raised my children athletics was a huge part of our lives,” said Clements. “Now with my grandkids, I watch my son with his daughters and athletics is huge in their world. There’s just so many life lessons that people learn. The kids grow, learn and develop when they’re involved in sports. You just got to keep that stuff going.”
They were able to spread the word around Idaho Falls.
The Idaho Falls Police officer was able to collect enough sporting goods to fill a U-haul trailer. As well, he raised $4,000 in donations.
Over the weekend, Clements and his family got the chance to give those donations to those affected by the Camp Fire.
“We spent the day in the parking lot of Chico High School, meeting people from Paradise and let them go through all the stuff and gather it all up,” Clements said. “It was just a great day.”
He saw people of all ages come out to the high school and pick up things that they needed.
Another purpose of Clements’ trip was to present two high school athletic departments with a check.
Paradise Adventist Academy and Paradise High School each got $2,000 to buy new uniforms, gear and more.
“I met with the athletic director for Paradise High School. She told us that of her 200 athletes that attend her school, four still had homes,” said Clements.
Clements’ son had a friend that had ties with the Vans shoes company who came and donated shoes.
Clements said that this trip was a chance to brighten kids’ days, especially in a dark time. These will be memories he keeps forever.
“They were going through the clothes, they were going through the shoes, they were going through all the stuff– but the smiles on the kids’ faces was the greatest,” said Clements.
People can still donate money until the end of the month. All you need to do is walk into any ISU Credit Union and ask to donate to the Paradise Fund.
