For my family, spring break this year means we are taking a break; a break from the crazy March madness that has been going on around our house for the past month. From work schedules, new job positions, school assignments, toddlers hitting the terrible twos four months early, and PTA commitments, we all need to take some time next week and breathe. We’re going to hit up Downtown Louisville and do some staycation ideas. But we’re also going to hang around our house, sleep in, stay in our pajamas a couple of extra hours, and yes, tidy up those rooms.
Are your kids’ rooms filled to the brim with stuffies? Do you try to open your kids’ closet doors only to find they won’t give as the force of a floor full of stuffed animals pushes back at you? I can’t be the only parent who experiences this! Recently, my daughter and I spent a few hours going through those bright-eyed and bushy tailed furry friends to try and part ways with many of them. She’s one of those kids who gives ALL of her stuffed animals names, and even months, sometimes years later, she still remembers what they are. We did manage to end the relationship with about twenty or so who have gone on to make new friendships with children throughout our community.
My daughter’s Girl Scout troop was recently connected with a project through Kosair Charities called Bears on Patrol. My daughter and I had given to the Bears on Patrol project several years ago, so I was very familiar with the program. The Bears on Patrol project is one in which collected new or gently used bears or other stuffed animals are stored up and sorted, and then police officers contact Kosair Charities stating they would like some bears to keep in their patrol cars. The bears are kept in their trunks, and whenever they arrive at situations involving children who may be scared or traumatized in any way by what is going on at that moment, the police officer retrieves a bear from his trunk and gives it to the child. What a visual for our children and youth, and such a great cause!
The girls in my daughter’s troop met with a representative from Kosair Charities and learned all about the Bears on Patrol project, how the stuffed animals they were giving up were going to be given to other children who desperately needed them more than their closet floors did, and received information about other work that Kosair Charities does with the help from the community. It was such an informational troop meeting, and we all learned that the Bears on Patrol storage room is practically empty at this time. So now is a perfect time to help them restock. Go through those rooms with your kids and see what sort of conversations you have. My daughter made some great decisions and I was very proud of her compassionate, giving attitude throughout the whole process.
Kosair Charities is located at 982 Eastern Parkway if you want to drop off those stuffed animals next week. Contact them by calling at 502-637-7696 ext.104 or emailing ssmith@kosair.org to arrange a time.
Image courtesy of http://kosair.org/programs/bears-on-patrol/
