'Makes my day': Englewood school hosts BBQ to say thanks to CPD officers
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A community comes together to celebrate and pray for Chicago's men and women in blue.
CBS 2's Marissa Perlman takes us to Englewood for the very special honor.
Inside the Academy of St. Benedict the African School, you'll find a feast fit for kings. On this day, it's police officers from District 7, tasked with keeping this space safe, are welcomed inside.
It's a way for the school and its students to say "thank you."
"They risk their lives and we have to do something in return," said fifth grader Alona Graves.
Those "thank you's" are in part because of this guy....
"The school, they're the ones who work the miracles."
For 15 years, Police Officer Michael Cleary has walked the halls at school.
"When I come to the school and I walk through the front door and I see their big smiles, it just makes my day," Cleary said.
Every day after roll call, Officer Cleary heads to campus and oversees drop off. He greets his students and makes sure the school is safe.
"I look through the window and I see them and I know they're safe no one is going to touch them," Cleary said, who admits to doing above and beyond his duties, even picking up trash when he sees it on the school grounds.
But it's beyond the day to day that Officer Cleary said it's never been more important for kids to start building trust with law enforcement.
"I think they sense that connection I'm not this big scary guy," Cleary admits.
It's a connection that he said needs to start at an early age.
"I feel more secure, more safe," said Graves.
But Officer Cleary said his job has been nothing less than a gift.
"I walk in, they greet me, and sometimes we do a big group hug, and it makes everything better," Cleary said. "What they do for me is so much more than I do for them."
A gift that keeps on giving.
