Across Dayton, this Valentine's Day was extra special for hundreds of children–thanks to one group of women.
“We realize that in a pandemic and with our economic times, children need a lot of love,” Dr. Carmela Daniels explained. She’s the Dayton chapter president of the National Council of Negro Women. Tuesday, the group hosted a Teddy Bear Roundup.
For the past 20-years–the group has donated cuddly toys to children in hospitals battling serious health issues or who are in the foster care system and going through a difficult time.
On this day, they’re at Haines Children's Center in North Dayton. This is a residential facility for children in foster care. The women unload about 350 plush, huggable toys including teddy bears, dogs, cats, elephants, and lions.
“It lets them know that sometimes, things on the outside can be scary and frightful, that there is still some security and safety in the world. I think the teddy bear brings that to them it brings a sense of love, a sense of peace and calm in what otherwise could be a very chaotic world,” Daniels said.
Craig Rickett is associate director of Montgomery County Children Services. He says social workers use these huggable toys as they help children navigate traumatic experiences.
“The children to have something to hold such as a teddy bear can speak volumes…there’s a community of people out there who care that are rooting for them and that want them to be successful,” Rickett explained.
On Valentine's Day, the group also donated toys to area shelters, Dayton Children's Hospital and other entities supporting children.
