Submitted by Jean Long Manteufel, District Chair, Kiwanis ‘n Cops ‘n Kids District Signature Project and Member of the Appleton Fox Cities Kiwanis Club
Julia Witherspoon, a Racine police officer, started the Cops ‘n’ Kids Reading Center in 1997. Later, she retired from the police department to run the reading center.
Julia Witherspoon, a Racine police officer, started the Cops ‘n’ Kids Reading Center in 1997. Later, she retired from the police department to run the reading center.
In 2020, as the Governor’s Project, I worked with NFL Hall of Fame inductee LeRoy Butler (the guy who invented the Lambeau Leap), and Miss Julia to design a version of her program for our Kiwanis district. Kiwanis ‘n Cops ‘n Kids was born. Because it was during Covid, everything was done by email and Zoom. Now, years later, we still text every month, and I send her all your Kiwanis Club pictures of Kiwanis ‘n Cops ‘n Kids. She is thrilled with our Kiwanis clubs continuing her legacy.
I had never actually met Miss Julia. In November, Miss Julia announced her retirement, and subsequently, the closing of the Cops ‘n Kids Reading Center in Racine. The reading center held its final book giveaway in December. I arranged with LeRoy to surprise Miss Julia by volunteering that day. It was time to meet my heroine.
What an honor. She has asked that we keep her updated on what all the clubs are doing. When you do a reading for Kiwanis ‘n Cops ‘n Kids, please post on Facebook. Tag us by putting this in your post: @KiwanisNCopsNKids and tag Miss Julia by adding @CopsNKids.
I hope you all have a chance to meet your hero someday!
I had never actually met Miss Julia. In November, Miss Julia announced her retirement, and subsequently, the closing of the Cops ‘n Kids Reading Center in Racine. The reading center held its final book giveaway in December. I arranged with LeRoy to surprise Miss Julia by volunteering that day. It was time to meet my heroine.
What an honor. She has asked that we keep her updated on what all the clubs are doing. When you do a reading for Kiwanis ‘n Cops ‘n Kids, please post on Facebook. Tag us by putting this in your post: @KiwanisNCopsNKids and tag Miss Julia by adding @CopsNKids.
I hope you all have a chance to meet your hero someday!