A Sweet Fundraiser for West Des Moines Youth Justice Initiative

A bit of a friendly rivalry was playing out Saturday among the West Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, the West Des Moines Fire Department and the West Des Moines Police Department — all vying for people's choice awards for the best-decorated gingerbread house at the Eighth Annual Great Cookie Walk benefitting the Youth Justice Initiative.

"Vote for the Chamber," Linda Hulleman, the Chamber's executive director whispered, loudly enough for police Lt. Cameron Coppess to overhear. 

In pitching the Chamber design to scores of people boxing up dozens of cookies at the Great Cookie Walk, held Saturday morning at West Des Moines Christian Church, Hulleman also used the occasion to pitch Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday encourages consumers to "shop small" today to support independent, locally owned business. With small business a mainstay of the U.S. economy, it's hard to argue with Hulleman's logic.

But Coppess also was winning favor with the cookie walkers. The police department's design featured circles, which Coppess said are fundamental to the initiative's success. Programming in the restorative justice initiative seeks to hold young offenders accountable by drawing a circle between the offender, the victim or victim's representative, and the community.

A home-team advantage, for sure.

But two tables away, the fire department was mounting a challenge with a gingerbread house that spoke to many people's inner firefighters. Completely edible but for the fan-blowing crepe paper flames from the chimney, it included an obligatory cookie Dalmatian and a police car that hit a fire hydrant, a gentle rib at the other boys in blue.

No word yet on who won that competition, but the crowd filing through the church were clear winners — and smart cookies for letting someone else do their holiday baking.