How to Comfort Frightened Children With Teddy Bears.

Remember when you were little and your best friend was a teddy bear? Whenever you needed comfort that stuffed, floppy bear was there to be close to you, not judge you and to listen. That is the same comfort you can bring to a small child who is going through a traumatic experience. You won't be there, but a police officer will be and that is where the comfort comes in. The teddy bears travel in the police cruisers waiting for just the moment when they are handed to a small child who is frightened and needs a little comfort.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Teddy bears of all shapes and sizes
• A committee
• A working relationship with your local police dept.
• telephone book
• local newspapers

How to Comfort Frightened Children With Teddy Bears and Police.

1. Your committee's first job is to approach your local police department and clear it through their police chief that they can give out the teddy bears to small children.
2. Once the approval is received, it is then understood that the police officers will carry the teddy bears in their cruisers so they will be available when needed.
3. Your committee then works with local churches and other volunteer groups to collect the stuffed bears. Sizes don't matter, just so they aren't too big. Average sized bears are what is needed.
4. The bears should be gender appropriate and it is better to have them all without gender (like no boys or girls clothing on).
5. Place the bears neatly in boxes which can be stored at a committee members house or at the police department if there is room.
6. Most of the bears need to be kept at the police department so the officers have them readily available to be put in their cruisers.
7. When reporting to domestic disputes, accident scenes or violent crimes traumatic to children, the officers give the teddy bears to the children for comfort.
8. Officers can then replenish their bear supply and one officer can contact your committee when the supply runs low.
9. This is a year-round volunteer project, however it has been proven that around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, it is easier to collect a large amount of the stuffed bears in all shapes and sizes.
10. Work with your local newspapers to both advertise for the donation of bears and to have a human interest article written every so often about the project in order to keep it visible.

Tips & Warnings

• This project also works well with fire departments too. If there are enough bears, you can utilize both departments.
• Don't accept mechanical bears which need batteries or discs to operate. If a child is moved into state's custody or a foster home, there is no gaurantee that they will be able to continue to have the batteries or discs needed.