For several years, the Club has been involved in what it calls "Operation Teddy". It was realized that young children have a
difficult time in handling the emotional and traumatic times when they visit a hospital emergency room - either as a patient or as
a child of a parent who is a patient. It was thought that something could be given to the child at the hospital that would
help to lessen the tension and anxiety.
A Teddy Bear seemed to be ideal. The child could hang onto and hold the Teddy
Bear and, hopefully, be comforted. Since Kiwanis International had such a Teddy Bear - white wearing a blue Kiwanis T-shirt
- it was determined to be just right for this project.
Through various fund raising efforts and simply 'passing the
hat' from time to time, sufficient funds have been collected over the years to permit the Club to donate more than 1400 bears to local
hospitals, local crisis intervention teams and other organizations working with young.children in stressful situations.
When
the Club designed its lapel pin, it chose the Teddy Bear
based on this project.
