Cpl. Ryan Lewis met a teenaged girl from outside of Fredericton this past fall during a traffic stop. As he spoke with her, she became upset. Eventually, she revealed to him that her mother had recently passed away and she was very worried about how she was going to take care of Christmas for her younger brother and sister.
When Cpl. Lewis told staff back at the Oromocto RCMP detachment about the situation, both regular members and civilian staff decided they wanted to help. The administrative staff collected donations and used funds from their "dress down days" to purchase a number of gifts for the young girl and her siblings. Cst. Jennifer Simon purchased and wrapped some gifts and organized the collection of others and Csts. Jennifer and Shannon Simon's two children, Sophia and Dawson, even donated their own spending money and chose gifts to give to the family as well.
Cpl. Lewis recently delivered all of the donated gifts to the children. This act of kindness exemplifies the spirit of the holiday season and the kindness of many RCMP employees.