On March 6, the Gilroy Exchange Club is set to present Gilroy’s Chief of Police Denise Turner with an assortment of Teddy bears collected by the Exchange Club’s “Teddy Bear Patrol” project.
The idea behind “Teddy Bear Patrol” is simple: Collect as many small, stuffed, furry friends as possible and carry them in the vehicles of police officers and firefighters, ready to be used at any time to comfort distressed children.
The handing over of the bears is scheduled to take place at 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot of Mama Mia’s restaurant at 1360 First St. in Gilroy.
“We are very excited about this program and look forward to this new partnership to get Teddy bears back on patrol,” enthused Turner.
The Exchange Club is a national organization that focuses on Americanism, community service, youth activities and child abuse prevention, according to the group’s website.
The Teddy bears have been paid for through the Exchange Club’s budget, but the 31 local members also purchased out-of-pocket two bears each, explained Erwin Boggs, a past Exchange Club president. The final tally of bears to be handed over will be known March 6, added Boggs.
Boggs is keen to see the “Teddy Bear Patrol” project come back to life. The effort had been operated by a different organization in the past, but had been quietly dropped, Boggs said.
Even though the Gilroy Exchange Club has undertaken the initial collection, anyone can donate a new Teddy bear by dropping it off at the Gilroy Police Department – located at 7301 Hanna St. – providing the bear is between 10 to 12 inches in size.
Chief Turner is quick to point out that the project, which aims to stash the vehicles of all first responders in Gilroy with a Teddy bear, is a win-win situation for the community.
“Our officers and firefighters encounter kids every day involved in traumatic situations,” she said.
A Teddy bear to cuddle with and (and keep) can help turn a negative experience into something more positive, explained Turner.
Bad situations for children in Gilroy in the past have included accidents, injuries and acts of violence and abuse, Turner said. The extra Teddy bear in the vehicle will be another way that officers – many of whom have children of their own – can interact with the young victims, said Turner.
Echoing Turner’s sentiments, Boggs pointed out how big of a difference something as small as a Teddy bear can make.
“Imagine you have young ones going into care as their parents are arrested. We want those kids to just have a Teddy bear to hold on to,” vowed Boggs.
The City of Gilroy will have a fire truck and a police car on hand at Mama Mia’s to transport the bears to their new assignments.
