Dallas police responding to a crime scene sometimes encounter children traumatized by events, collateral damage, so to speak.
Officers, though, soon will have squad-car trunk loads of toy teddy bears, like there's any other kind, to leave behind with the little victims.
This evening, from 5:30-6:30, at the Gaylord Texan, about 100 volunteers from the University of Phoenix, Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and area students enrolled in grades one through 12, unite for a Build-A-Bear Workshop.
The aim here is to assemble the toys, donate the bears to police, who will, as need be, leave the teddy bears with child victims caught up in cases of child abuse, domestic violence and other crimes. Gotta be tough for a kid to watch daddy or mommy led away in handcuffs.
"One important resource in helping these youngsters is a simple and unexpected gift like a stuffed animal. It is something children experiencing an immediate crisis find comforting, something that helps them cope with life's travails," Dallas police Lt. Ches William said in a press release.
Comforting a traumatized kid -- that right there is what's called a worthy cause.
Bruce Felps owns and operates East Dallas Times, an online community news outlet serving the White Rock Lake area. He had a toy sock monkey. Probably still does.
