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From
a Chief of Detectives in Illinois.
Your letter concerning the "Teddy Bear" program has been
referred to me by our Superintendent for a response. First of all
thank you very much for the teddy bears.
The teddy bears will be personally directed by me, to various victims
or otherwise traumatized children, and delivered by an Officer.
Today, the first bear is being delivered to a two-year-old child
who was brutally sexually assaulted by an adult visiting her household.
The adult then placed the child's hands into scalding water. The damage
to the hands was described by a witness, to the media, as "melted
off".
While anything we do will not compensate for the horror that this
little girl has suffered, perhaps your "bear" will make
her day just a little better.
Given the volume of children that we encounter for a myriad of reasons,
these "teddy bears" will go a long way to brighten their
day. I can handle any volume of "teddy bears" that you can
supply. Rest assured that they will be distributed in a way that coincides
with both the intent and spirit of your program.
Thank you for your fine work. If I can be of any further assistance,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
Or consider
a much less traumatic, but nevertheless disturbing situation from a Chief
of Police who wrote us to ask for more bears.
Numerous officers have stories about how they were able to utilize
these gifts to "light up" the eyes of a child and brighten
their day, often in situations where the circumstances were less than
desirable. On one such occasion a Motorcycle Officer was issuing a
citation to a motorist, when the motorist began to yell and scream
at the officer. The officer noticed that the parent's actions were
upsetting a small child in the vehicle. As the child began to cry,
the officer reached into his saddlebag, removed a small stuffed toy
and gave it to the child, telling her, "everything will be okay
sweetheart." With that, the child began to smile, and the parent
stopped her verbal attack on the officer and suddenly apologized.
Not only did this small gesture turn a bad situation into a pleasant
one for the officer, but also there is little doubt that both the
parent and child went away with a positive feeling about the encounter.
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From a
Chief, Fire and Rescue
I want to thank you and your group for the donation of the Teddy
Bears for use on our Rescue Unit. We have provided stuff animals to
many children over the years and never seem to have enough. It is
amazing how much comfort and reassurance the Teddy Bears provide,
under some of the most stressful situations. The relief and the smiles
that come from a child getting something so fuzzy and friendly are
just unbelievable. Its great when we can show a child with a gift
of a bear that we care. . It seems to make it that much easier to
do the job we have to do with a lot less stress.
In the future, if we should need more Bears, we would be honored
to have them come from you.
Again, thank you very much for the gift of the Teddy Bears, they
have been and will be a great help in the treatment of any children
that should require our service.
From another
Chief of Police
While most of our bears are given away at fire scenes, car crashes,
and other unanticipated tragedies, we have one program in place that
is an annually scheduled event. Each Christmas morning, the commander
and several police officers of our Community Services Division deliver
teddy bears to several local battered women's shelters, the Children's
Hospital, and other nursing homes and hospices. All too often the
teddy bears have been the only gifts these individuals had received
during the holidays, and all too often they have been the only source
of comfort and hope for them, as well. The contribution made by your
organization will help our officers continue to provide this service
to our citizens.
From a
Public Safety Education Officer
Thank you for your gift of small furry friends to the children.
Several years ago an area organization donated bears to our department
and we found them to be very helpful in calming small children involved
in stressful situations. We average over 48,000 calls a year and many
of them involve children. Your gift will be put to immediate
use!
Recent situations, which could have benefited from the Teddy Bears,
include two small children held hostage by a gunman for over 28 hours
and a man who threw two children to the ground from a second floor
window. While all four children received relatively minor injuries,
the emotional trauma was extremely high. How we would have loved to
have your bears then.
I will be sure to let you know of our success stories. We appreciate
your generosity and hope you will keep us in mind when sending out
more bears.
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From the
Manager of a Department of Police Services
We received your letter addressed to our Chief of Police, about the
"Teddy Bears" you have given our Police Department, and
we are thankful for such donation.
We are furnishing you some of our community service officers' incidents,
stories relative to giving these Teddy Bears to children in crisis,
and how their "attention had been diverted from the trauma".
From an officer who states:
"I responded to a two-car accidents - one vehicle had 3 children
aboard: 2 years old, 4 years old, and 7 years. These children were
physically okay, but emotionally upset, because their mother was injured
and needed transport to the hospital. The bears provided comfort and
distraction for the children on the scene and through the transport.
The children spent time naming their bears and playing with them".
"Domestic Violence call: Husband was beating mom in front of
their children. Officers were called. The scene was under control.
The mom needed to be interviewed and the children occupied. I was
requested to provide bears for three children. I had on board three
3-foot tall bears. The children were amazed and delighted when they
saw the bears, as were the officers and firefighters on the scene.
"Sexual Assault: A 13-year old aunt caring for a 5-year old
niece while in a park in the south end. The 13-year old was sexually
assaulted. Both children were emotionally upset for different reasons.
The 13-year old needed to be interviewed, and the 5-year old needed
to be moved from the location so that interview could occur. The 5-year
old was provided a choice of bears from a sack full. She chose one,
and then needed a friend for the 1st. She held them close while her
aunt was away from her".
We have handled over 100 homeless families with kids that we have
given bears to.
And your Teddy Bears donation had been a great help to us.
Again, thank you for including our department in your list, and we
would appreciate receiving donations from your institution.
From a
Fire Department about How This program Benefits the Elderly
Thank you very much for your generous donation of teddy bears for
our rescue. Your "Teddy Bear" program is a wonderful idea.
As you know it makes a world of difference when a child in distress
has a furry friend to comfort them. We have also found that our elderly
population finds great comfort in holding a bear. They don't want
to let them go. They are always so tickled to know that it is theirs
and they don't have to give it back.
We appreciate being considered for your generous program and would
like to continue to receive your teddy bears. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Fire Department
Donate a Car Success Page 1
Donate a Car Success Page 2
Donate a Car Success Page 3
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