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Strategies for Youth   conducted a survey of children whose parents/guardians were arrested in front of them.  We asked them how this experience could have been less scary and terrifying. 

Some of the children responded by asking for something soft to hold that would help them feel safe and less alone.  While the thought of giving them puppies, as children suggested, would have been amazing, we all know that is not a request based in reality.  We figured that the next best thing would be to give them big fluffy teddy bears to hold and keep with them.

WHAT are we doing - collecting money to buy teddy bears for arresting officers or child advocates to hand to any children present during an arrest of a parent/guardian.

WHY we are doing it - the children themselves let us know what would have made this traumatic experience a bit more manageable. 

Here's HOW we are doing it -  $25 enables us to purchase a Teddy Bear and provide officers in a city with necessary materials; $100 enables us to purchase 5 Teddy Bears.

If you are reading this and want to give a Teddy Bear directly, YOU CAN!  Hopefully, you know someone who knows someone at Strategies for Youth, so you can  just hand it (them?) over.  If not, then PLEASE GO TO THE WEBSITE and click on "contact us".  We'll make sure you can donate as many bears as you want.  :--)

Strategies for Youth is an advocacy and training organization dedicated to improving police/youth interactions through community engagement, police training, outreach programs for youth, and proactive use of multi-disciplinary approaches to problem solve and build relationships between police and youth.

Please help us help them.

THANK YOU!!

http://strategiesforyouth.org/

Please note that you can donate with a credit card even if you do not have a PayPal account.  Just click on the buy as guest option just above the credit cards icons.