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BERWYN – Ask the members of Berwyn Police Explorer Post 94 why they decided to join, and they'll quickly list the principles they've picked up along the way. To them, being part of Post 94 is about becoming a leader and making a change.
It’s about understanding that communities are founded on family, where the values of love, care and compassion grow.
“We all learn from each other and become one,” Alexus Rivera, 17, of Cicero said as she reflected on her experience and the mission that drives the post forward.
That simple message of unity was carried through a project. Post 94, a youth group sponsored by the Berwyn Police Department and chartered by the Boy Scouts of America, came together last month to create care bags for homeless individuals. Each drawstring bag holds toiletries, clothing items, $10 gift cards and reference cards that name local shelters, said Kassandrah Mercado, 18, of Cicero.
“These bags are going to be put into the squad cars,” she said, noting that officers are encouraged to hand out the care bags to help those in need.
Mercado said the bags are color-coded: Blue bags are for men and the red ones are for women. Every bag’s exterior comes with a reflective stripe design, an added safety feature. “At night, if someone drives by, they could see the [reflective] light,” she said. “So we could see who’s there.”
Rivera, Mercado and their team kicked off the project with 10 care bags. They, along with their advisers, pooled their money and bought the supplies themselves.
“They didn’t ask for donations,” said Carmelita Terry, who serves as a Berwyn police detective and has run the Berwyn Police Explorer Post 94 program for more than 25 years.
“This is something they wanted to do to give back to the community,” Terry said.
Since 1966, the post has pulled in teens as young as 14 years old and introduced them to the fundamentals of law enforcement, as well as provided a pathway to a career. In this program, area high schoolers and young adults get an opportunity to see firsthand how traffic control and accident investigations are handled, learn about crime prevention techniques, go on ride-alongs and get tutorials in first aid/CPR.
“We get hands-on experience from people who have been in the force for a long time, and it helps us better our futures,” Rivera said.
Terry noted that members of Post 94 usually attend and volunteer at events across the cities of Berwyn and Cicero. From Oktoberfest at the Depot District to the Houby Festival, which takes place along Cermak Road, teens and young adults from the post are there setting an example and helping residents have a safe, fun time.
And that’s the thing, Mercado said. More than anything, the program has taught them how to have respect – respect for one another and for members of their community. With that, they’re ready to make a difference.
“This is just like a first – our first idea,” she said. “This shows us that we can go farther and keep going and help them in other ways that we can, not only for the homeless, but for others in the community.”