LAKE WALES, Fla. — ’Tis the season for good deeds and the Lake Wales Police Department is making a list and checking it twice.

“We have to be the change,” said officer Edward Palmer, of the Lake Wales Police Department. “So often in life we’re scared of change; as leaders we need to be the change and to show people what we’re actually made of.”

Officer Edward Palmer joined over a dozen other Lake Wales police officers, in helping to make home improvements for elderly residents who need a little help. Like Mrs. Ardela Green, she’s nearly 100 years old and said she was in dire need of some landscaping help.

“They are demolishing my king patch back there,” said Mrs. Green. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time but couldn’t; they are also putting a drain in for the rain and making it easier for me to get around back there.”

The Lake Wales police department helped Mrs. Green get a grant from Home Depot’s Legacy Program, which helped purchase, the supplies and as far as the labor; the officers did that for free.

“It’s called the Be the Change Program,” said officer Palmer. “We really encourage every department to do it.”

Mrs. Green is 97 years old and said most of her life was spent in her Lake Wales home, which was previously owned by family.

“There was storm in 1904 that took about a 3rd of the tree down, demolished the house that was right there,” said Green. “I’ve seen a lot of changes in this neighborhood; I’m happy my house is still standing.”

Officer Palmer and the other Lake Wales officers that volunteer to help fix up home like Mrs. Greens told me that helping the community is why they signed up to be members of law enforcement.

“We go when the situation is bad; we’re painted in such a bad light,” said Officer Palmer. “Yes, people make mistakes — we’re all human but I didn’t beg these guys to come help, they offered to come. It’s nice to be able to come and be ourselves because most of us came into this to help people and we’re helping. We have that heart.”