Top cop honored for helping children shop

On Monday afternoon, Shop for Kids held a sold-out fundraiser at Sagamore Golf Club, 10900 Golden Bear Way, Noblesville. The venue was filled with friends, supporters, elected officials, first responders and more who came to support a charity that provided Christmas gifts to children in need in Hamilton County.

During his tenure as Hamilton County Sheriff, Carter, now superintendent of the Indiana State Police, was instrumental in founding Shop for Kids, which has been providing a holiday shopping experience to Hamilton County families in need since 2008.

Carter was there to offer his support and was surprised with some gifts of his own. For Carter, receiving presents was an interesting twist since he has so often played the role of Santa Claus to others.

Shop for Kids board member Dustin Dixon presented Carter with a framed photo from last year's Shop For Kids event, where Carter arranged for a State Police helicopter to land in the parking lot of a Target store in Fishers as an additional surprise for the children through the program.

Additionally, and more significantly from this newspaper's perspective, the Hamilton Heights Youth Assistance Program announced the creation of a $1,000 scholarship in Carter's name. The scholarship will be awarded to a Heights student of the choice of Carter and Hamilton Heights Superintendent Derek Arrowood. The scholarship is currently designed to run for 10 years.

For more information about Shop for Kids or to make a donation, email [email protected] or visit Facebook.com/ShopForKidsHC.

Reporter photos