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One Good Thing: Pen pals for the Kent County Sheriff's Office

A personal connection for the deputies, and something fun for the kids to do.

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Something a lot of parents need are new things for their kids to do that doesn't involve a screen. Today's One Good Thing takes care of both.  

Zoey and Titus are missing out on their favorite things, like soccer and dancing. They can't even do those things in their backyard.

"Technically our backyard is a patio... and rocks... and a fence... and a porch... and a bird house," said Titus. 

Like most parents, their mother Christy has been trying to keep them occupied and came across a post from the Kent County Sheriff's Office asking for children to be pen pals to their officers.

Sgt. Joy Matthews--who heads the program--said, "We just wanted a way to stay in touch with our amazing and supportive residents."

At first, Christy forgot about the post. Until, "one day the kids were going crazy, and I was like 'Hey! We're going to write to the sheriff!'" she said. 

Zoey and Titus are two of dozens of kids--and a few adults--who are now hand-writing letters to the members of the sheriff's office.

"We even have an adult who's writing us from Alabama," said Matthews. 

For the kids, it's a chance to ask some honest questions and get some fun responses.

One of their letters from their pen pal reads, "Thank you for the picture of the police car chasing the bad guys. I can tell you a secret. That's exactly what my car looks like when I'm chasing bad guys!"

And learn some good life lessons.

"Even just their writing skills in a real-life scenario, writing to an actual person," said Christy. 

For the sheriff's office in the middle of a pandemic, which Joy says, never prepared for this in the police academy, it's a reminder the people they're not alone either.

"Something positive is always good throughout this time. Even for officers."

Matthews says when life gets back to normal, they hope to get all the pen pals together to meet in person.

If you have a One Good Thing you'd like to submit — someone or something that makes West Michigan a good place to live — email me with your photos and/or video at OneGoodThing@13OnYourSide.com.

And remember the One Good Thing Facebook page where you can see more One Good Things that don't make it to air. 

Yesterday's One Good Thing:  

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