|
|||||
 | |||||
|
Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 10/1/07 |
|
|
In
the News Archive - Year:
October 31, 2003 School Zone: By Jose de Jesus Look for teddy bears in the trunk.
"We inspect cars once a month and on the inspection sheet (police officers)
have to check and see how many teddy bears they have left," said Sgt.
Bill Morgan. "It's a valuable thing for us."
But thanks to students at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Baird
Elementary School on the city's east side, no squad car should fail any
test soon.
The students recently collected about 725 soft animals in two weeks
and provided them to three law enforcement agencies — Green Bay Police,
Brown County Sheriff and Wisconsin State Patrol.
The stuffed animals go to victims of accidents or when police officers
respond to calls such as disturbance.
"You might see your mother or father fighting or someone else has been
fighting with them and not have anyone there to take care of you, the
first thing you see, probably, is a policeman," Morgan said. And the policeman
has a gun, which is intimidating, he said.
"So with us having the teddy bear, we can give that to that child and
we can calm them down — just give them some comfort, something to
hang to," he said. "It means so much in an emergency like that."
The teddy bear drive was part of a community service program from UWGB,
said junior Cassey Suring, the college's community service director for
student government association.
Suring said she read of a teddy bear drive on the Internet and thought
about doing something similar locally.
"Sometimes when you are in school that's all you are focusing on —
you have to go to class and do other things," Suring said. "It's really
easy to forget that there's stuff going on outside and I that think this
is a good way to get involve with the community."
Jake Landrum, a third-grader at the elementary school, said he was very
proud of all the students on the drive.
"I think it's very nice of them because some kids don't really like
to give up their favorite stuffed animals," said Landrum, 9. "I'm really
proud."
| |
