04/22/2009
Bear Hugs Comfort Kids
Staff members of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences have rallied together to provide comfort, in the form of teddy bears, to children removed from Kentucky homes contaminated by methamphetamine production. A&S staff members, assisted by students, have donated more than 300 teddy bears to be placed in backpacks carried in the vehicles of the Kentucky State Police. The backpacks - which also contain basic toiletries, markers or crayons and hand sanitizer - are given to children evacuated from meth lab houses. Because of contamination by meth, children removed from these homes are forced to leave behind all possessions including clothing, photos and toys. Bears may also be given to children involved in automobile accidents or domestic violence situations.
A KSP representative will accept the donation of teddy bears during the 14th Annual A&S Staff Appreciation Luncheon at noon April 23, in the Grand Ballroom of the UK Student Center. The stars of the event - the bears themselves - will be on hand.
The teddy bear program was initiated and organized by the A&S Staff Council, after council members heard of the need for toys to comfort children removed from meth-contaminated houses. The Staff Council spread the word among A&S staff members, as well as students. Donations began to pour in as people heard of the need faced by children displaced by drug crime.
"The children are literally taken from the home, undressed because of the chemicals on their clothing and placed in a set of paper clothes until they can be taken to a hospital to be checked out and then to a shelter. They can take nothing with them from their home," said Brenda Parker, vice chair of the A&S Staff Council. Other members of the A&S Staff Council are Chair Lori Tyndall, Recording Secretary Stacey Wilks, Lucy Combs, Naomi Norasak, Carol O'Reilly, Jamie Robida and Melissa Wirt.
The Staff Council is thrilled with the success of the teddy bear collection within the College of Arts and Sciences, and hopes to see the program go campus-wide next year. Donated bears must be new and clean, and between 8 to 12 inches in height. Parker says she has also received cash donations - which are used to purchase additional bears and supplies for the backpacks - from faculty, staff and students. For more information or to donate, contact Brenda Parker at (859) 257-7115 or via email at brenda.parker@uky.edu.
Allison Elliott - UK Public Relations