Education Club collects teddy bears to aid children in distress
From Nov. 25 through Dec. 6 the Education Club is collecting teddy bears and other plush toys to donate to the Seaford and Greenwood police departments
Holly Hermstedt, Education Club Advisor said “they intend to carry the animals with them and when they encounter a child who is in a stressful situation, they will be able to distribute those stuffed animals.”
Shannon Jenkins, General Science Major said that she had heard about the teddy bear drive from a friend, but with finals week and Thanksgiving coming up that she did not have time to look around for the bins to donate
“I think I would donate if I didn’t already have so much to worry about in the next couple weeks” Jenkins said, “I haven’t seen any of the bins around campus, but then again I haven’t really been looking”
Christine Kirkpatrick, a former detective in the Child Advocacy Center in Wicomico county said that during her time in the CAC that she would get a new case every week and that stuffed animals were a very useful tool when interviewing children.
“in order to investigate the case and do everything you need to do, you have to talk to them,'' said Kirkpatrick. “at some point they have to say what happened to them.”
Interviewing children can be a delicate process ““rather than tell that 50 million times to 50 million people, they say it basically once” said Kirkpatrick “Social workers are trained in a specific open-ended way of interviewing kids, it’s called child first interviewing”
Kirkpatrick said that giving bears to these children help to create a connection with them that helps kids to open up to interviewers.
If one wanted to donate items to help first responders care for children Kirk Patrick said that the best way to donate is to contact your local Child Advocacy Center’s coordinator and to ask what they need specifically
“[the CAC] may have a specific need,” said Kirkpatrick, “we keep water bottles and different snacks in stock I’ve seen people bring in boxes of stuff like that all the time.”
If you would like to learn more about Delaware Child Advocacy Center visit their website
Photo by J. Melvin
One of the bins education club use to collect bears, located in Arts and Science Center.