SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (SNN) — The Sarasota Police Department received a heartwarming donation of around 400 cuddly Teddy bears on Wednesday.
About a decade ago, Rod Khleif, the founder of the Tiny Hands Foundation, made it his mission to build bridges between our local law enforcement and the children they comfort during hard times.
The secret ingredient? Teddy bears. A lot of them.
“It’s been a huge success. We’ve given thousands and thousands and thousands of bears,” said Khleif.
Officers keep the fluffy friends in their patrol cars, ready to be deployed when they encounter a child in a traumatic situation.
Khleif recalled the day he stumbled upon a news article about a lost child on a busy six-lane road in Sarasota.
In the child’s hands was one of the Teddy bears Khleif had donated.
“When I saw the bear in the child’s hands, it just made me realize that what we do is effective. That that child was comforted obviously immediately,” said Khleif. “I’m sure he was terrified being out there on the busy road, and so, an officer was able to comfort that child and that’s a beautiful thing.”
The Chief of Police for the Sarasota Police Department, Rex Troche, said he’s seen fluffy friends in action too.
“Many times, police officers go to calls for service where people are in a manic state. Quite often there’s children involved in those calls for service. And this is an opportunity for us to give something to little kids on scene so they understand that we’re human and something that they can attach themselves to, and really in those situations a bear is just a great way to take their mind off what’s going on in their life at the moment,” said Chief Troche.
The Teddy bears not only serve as distractions, but also help children feel at ease in the presence of an officer.
“I’m a huge proponent for local law-enforcement and I want to give them this resource to help them comfort a child and bridge that gap so that the children don’t fear the police department. I think that’s super important,” said Khleif.
Chief Troche adds that the impact of these Teddy bears can be long lasting.
“Something like this can really distract a child for several hours, several weeks, or even the attachment can go beyond several years. And so we think this is really special,” he said.
SPD’s Community Relations Unit will also have the bears on hand to distribute at community events with children.
