DAYTON — Hundreds of Teddy Bears are ready to go to foster children who were removed from their homes and could not take their belongings.
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The National Council for Negro Women in Dayton is behind the effort, gathering every kind of teddy bear they could find so that every child could pick a bear that feels special to them.
“We collected over 510 bears, bears were still coming in as of this morning,” NCNW 2024 Chairman of Teddy Bear Round-Up, Donna Kuykendall said.
Kuykendall said the NCNW spends all year reaching out to local organizations to find people to donate.
“We want to be sure that our children, particularly children here in Montgomery county, know that they are loved and that they’re valued and really, that they are seen,” Kuykendall said.
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That’s why the Deputy Assistant Director at Montgomery County Children’s Services, Jennie Cole, said the Teddy Bear Round-Up is so critical.
“Unfortunately, when kids have to be removed from their homes, they oftentimes don’t get to take anything with them so when they go from point A to point B, it’s something to physically hold and take with them,” Cole said.
Cole said she has seen it positively impact kids and allow them to open up more to their caseworkers.
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“Knowing that people in your community care about you and look out for you,” Cole said.
There are more than 600 kids in the Foster Care system here in Montgomery County.
“Every day can be challenging, every day can be difficult. It’s nice for our children to have that something that is theirs during a time that’s kind of unknown,” Cole said.
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Cole said they couldn’t make this event happen without the National Council of Negro Women.
“I want the children to be able to have some joy, I want them to be happy. I want them to have fun with the bears,” Kuykendall said.
The Council is already getting started on preparing for next year’s Teddy Bear Round-up.
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