The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Teddy bears await police, fire departments
More than 1,000 stuffed animals collected from Bears of Kindness program
Area police and fire departments will have many teddy bears to help comfort children.
Police and firefighters from several communities walked into Pat O’Brien Chevrolet in Willoughby Hills to find the bed of a full-size pick-up truck full of teddy bears and all sorts of other stuffed animals waiting for them.
In addition to the truck, there were bears set up all around the showroom and more stuffed in boxes.
All together, more than 1,000 stuffed animals were presented to these local safety forces from the Bears of Kindness program.
Earlier in the fall, WINT Police officers and fire fighters from Kirtland, Richmond Heights, Wickliffe, Willoughby and Willoughby Hills pick out teddy bears from the 1,000 stuffed animals donated to the departments from residents of the communities for the Bears for Kindness program.
Radio promoted the pro- gram and encouraged listeners to take the new teddy bears to a variety of collection sites, including presenting sponsor Pat O’Brien Chevrolet, according to a news-release from Spirit Media.
The teddy bears are to be used by the local police, fire and EMTs to give to children who have been involved in house fires, car accidents, domestic violence or any other incidents where they may need comforted.
Originally Willoughby and Willoughby Hills police and fire personnel were to be the only recipients but the response from the community resulted in the collection of three times the amount of stuffed animals they anticipated on getting, according to Ray Somich of WINT Radio.
Due to large amount collected the program was expanded to include Kirtland, Richmond Heights and Wickliffe.
In addition to the 1,000 new stuffed animals, there were also numerous donations of used stuffed animals which will go to local animal shelters.
Willoughby Hills Acting Fire Chief Tim Serazin said the fire department looks forwards to distributing them.
“If we can find a kid to give one to, we will,” Serazin said. “We keep a few on the squad so if we run into kids we can hand them out.”
“Any time we can reach out to the community in a positive way it helps us,” Willoughby Hills Police Chief Chris Collins said. “When we get called to crisis situations, most of them involve families and children and so forth. So anytime we can have tools that we can use to help that situation and give some peace to those involved it helps us.”
Collins said the department has been working with the Painesville Exchange Club, which has been providing teddy bears to them.
And he estimates his department hands out between 30-35 stuffed animals a year.