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OREM — A routine call by Orem police to the home of a single mother turned into an opportunity to help a family in need.
Police officers on patrol get dispatched to homes day after day, but there’s one location that Sgt. Bill Crook couldn't get out of his mind.
“Our police department responded to a domestic violence call here a couple of weeks ago,” Crook said.
While officers are trained to look for suspicious signs wherever they go, this time Crook's eye could only see a need.
“She is a single mom and she has the two kids, and she is taking care of the kids, and we noticed she is doing a good job with that, but she just didn't have some of the things she needed for basic needs,” Crook said.
He could see she was using the bathtub to do laundry and didn't have a bed to sleep on. So he went to work. He spread the word about the need and within a few days his fellow officers, a local business, residents and Habitat for Humanity helped provide a brand new washer and dryer, and more importantly, for Ashley Simmons, a bed.
As neighbors watched police vehicles, a fire truck and an ambulance converge on an Orem street Wednesday afternoon, neighbors watched closely to see what was going on. But there was no emergency, just a surprise delivery from Orem police and firefighters.
To be able to lay in a bed and go to sleep tonight is going to be like heaven pretty much.
–Ashley Simmons
“Oh, my gosh! I don't know what to say,” Simmons said through tears of gratitude. “OK, let's go in and see if we have room for everything. I am so overwhelmed. I don't even know what else to say.
"People don't understand. They don't get that the little things really do help and get you a long way,” she said. “To be able to lay in a bed and go to sleep tonight is going to be like heaven pretty much."
After the surprise delivery, Simmons' son and daughter got a tour of the fire engine.
“I wanted to make sure the kids had a good, positive experience instead of seeing the police on a negative level,” Crook said.
"It is officers like him that make our world more amazing,” Simmons said. “I don't even know how to thank him. This is incredible.” Email: spenrod@deseretnews.com
