Suburban Girl Delivers Gift Bags to Local Police Officers

Officers were so touched by the gesture that they planned to give the girl and her family gifts of their own

A suburban girl showed her appreciation for her local police officers with a sweet, heartwarming gesture. 

Maya Teran, 11, stopped by the Wheeling Police Department on Wednesday evening with a special gift for the officers. She and her mother Gabi Valencia gave them 90 'Police Survival Kits' that they had prepared, according to officer Scott Laverd. 

Each black bag had a blue band on one side, with a note on the other detailing its sweet contents. 

"Lifesavers to remind you of the many times you've been one. Smarties to give you wisdom for the split-second decisions. Airheads because let's face it- you deal with your fair share!" the note reads. 

"KitKats for those times you need a break. Hershey Kisses because you deserve lots of love. XOXO. Laffy Taffy so you can laugh off the bad vibes. Starburst if you need a burst of energy to push through."

"A lucky penny to help you catch the bad guys. And gum to help the department and community stick together through tough times," the note ends. "Thank you for your service." 

"It's one thing to see an officer on the street and come up and say thank you for your service, but it's a whole other thing to spend literally hours putting something together like this," Laverd said. 

"Instead of doing something for myself, I wanted to do something for others," Maya said. "They do hard work for us and I appreciate them."

Officers were so happy with the kits that they plan to surprise Maya and her family at their home Friday morning with gifts of their own. 

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