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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-01-25, Page 4s Page 4 Times -Advocate, January 25, 1989 Beware of bears riding in OPP patrol cars MOUNT •FOREST - Starting February, the number of "bears" pa- trolling provincial highways in the Counties of Bruce, Grey, Huron, Perth, Wellington Land the Regional Municipality of Waterloo will dou-. ble when officers from OPP's No..6 District arc issued a new partner. The new partner; a teddy bear, stands 12'inches tall, is covered in fur, wears only a blue ribbon, is stuffed and -will ride in the trunk of the cruiser. "Children who arc the victims of traffic accidents, familyviolence or crime need to be comforted during tlio`se traumatic situations. If a ted- dy bear will calm a frightened child and help establish a bond between the youngster and our officer, then it's a welcome addition to the Force", said Sergeant John Arm- strong, Public Information Co. - ordinator for No. 6 District. "Other. police forces who have used teddy bears to comfort children who were victims of crime or accident say it works." - The bears are supplied it the by The Good Bears of the Fergus/Elora Dcn. Initial fundic,,; for the pilot .project came from lo- cal branches :of the .Toronto• - Doniinion Bank:. The Good Bears of the. World is represented in the Fergus/Elora arca by Chairbear Lee Wansbrough who brought the. concept to Canada in 1987. The charitable organization supplies bears for use in seniors' homes, hospitals and police depart- ments in an effort to relieve distress and suffering in people of all ages. On January 27, OPP officers from surrounding detachments will gather at No; 6 District .Headquar- ters to be issued- with 200 teddy bears; one for each cruiser in the district. The history of The Good Bears of the World (GBW) is quite simply a very touching story. During the period 1951 to 1969, a'man by the name of Russell McClean, who had .been a rather sickly individual all of his life, was very bust. As a result _ of spending post of his lift iv and .out of hospitals around Cleveland and Lima; Ohio, he witnessed the suffering of many little children who were afraid and generally terri- ficd by. hospital procedures. He thought that, if he could provide a teddy bear for each and everyone of these little people to share these times with, he could eliminate a great many" of their fears. Mr. McClean got together With a wom- an bythe name of Easter Straker, a .radio and eventually a TV Personal- ity in Ohio. Together they ap- proached the Governor, and came .up with a plan whereby a percent- age of• the State's three percent sales tax would be directed to the • purchase of teddy bears for hospital distribution. Mr. McClean passed ••Tway; in. 1969; but it is estimated . ',at he was indirectly responsible for placing some sixty thousand teddy bears in the arms of children throughout the state of Ohio. In 1968 Peter Bull, an English movie and stage actor, wrote =a book tilted "Bear With Me" and in it he told the story of Mr. McClean and his dedication to the children of Ohio. (Mr. Bull is said tobe the person responsible for the current revitalization of the teddy bear). In 1970 this book was reti- tled "The Teddy Bear Book" and published in the United States where it was read by the late James Ownby. Mr. Ownby contacted Mr. Bull who, in turn, introduced him to Col. Robert Henderson, a col- lector. of teddy bears in England. These two gentlemen formed what has become The Good Bears of the World. They registered this organ- ization in Berne, Switzerland in 1973, with Col. Henderson head- ing, up the U.K. chapter, and Mr. Ownby starting up the U.S. seg- ment with head offices in Honolu- lu, Hawaii. The U.S. operation has spread into other areas including Australia and Japan with a system of small groups referred to as "Dens", as well as members at large. The first Canadian den of GBW was founded in the Fergus -Elora arca in 1987. In its statement of purpose The Good Bears of the World Fergus -Elora Den has dedi- cated itself to educating people about the special attributes of the teddy bear as a solace object and source of comfort; and, to 'gifting', (donating), teddy bears for use in seniors' .homes, hospijals and, po- lice departments 'for the relief of distress. in people of all ages. Who are Good Bears? We come from a diverse range of personal backgrounds, professions and ages; however, we share a common in- terest in giving, aiding and com- forting. We have a special feeling for children and the elderly, and we know a teddy bear can help to soft- en the hardness of this world. We believe that we can make a positive difference in the quality if life of abused, infirmed and isolated peo- ple. One of life's pleasures is sharing, and that is what GBW is really all - about. If you would care to make a dona- tion towards our cause: Your donation, which is tax de- ductible, (an official receipt will be issued on all donations of ten dol- lars or more, if requested) allows you to share in the spirit of the GBW movement. It will assist us in the funding of the purchase of teddy bears for gifting to those in need of comfort. If you would like more informa- tion about The Good Bears of the World, please contact: The Good Bears of the World Fergus -Elora Den P.O. Box 982, Elora, Ont. NOB 1S0 Tel: (519) 843-6378 Lee C. Wansbrough - Chairbear Note: The Good Bears of the World Fergus -Elora Dcn is a Cana- dian run operation dedicated to ful- filling the needs of Canadians with teddy bears made in Canda by the 'Binkley Toys' company of Hamil- ton, Ontario. rl ONTARIO MARCH 4 OF DINES 1 Apr New guides - The First Huron Park Girl Guides have wel- comed some new members into their midst, including Sarah Mosurinjohn (front left), Chris- tina Gilchrist, Shannon Sher- wood (back left), new leader aryl Smith, Tracy Smith, and Connie Durward. Absent are Tia Shultz and Theresa Brown. Videotapes on swine ready CLINTON - Videotapes of the "Excellence in swine Production Series" held last winter, are now available. The Huron County Pork Producers' Association has pur- chased the set of eight tapes for use by producer within the county. The tapes are available at the Clinton O.M.A.F. office. There is a $10 deposit per tape (which will be refunded upon return of the tapes). - The four main topic areas are: * Farrowing Management * Weaner management * Reproductive Man- agement * Grower/Finisher Man- agement. For more information on the availability of these tapes, please call the office at 482-3428 or 1- 800-265-5170. Andy Sande Huron County Pork Advisor c .u1,,,u get AIDS )S !nun hhn,d or semen? NTS . during sexual intercourse with a person infected MI AIDS. (:et the facts. Let's Talk. Call the Ontario Ministry of Health AIDS Hotline 1 -800.668 -AIDS r We're glad you asked! BOB FLETCHER. CAN YOUNG CHILDREN UNDERSTAND DEATH? Four-year-old Karen's mother had died in an accident. Her father, overcome by grief and shock, sent her to live with a neighbor for a few days, saying she was "too young to understand" and would be upset by all the crying and visitors. But Karen became confused, then frightened. No one would tell her where her Mommy was; she was living in a strange house with unfamil- iar people; and at nursery school, her teacher looked at her sadly and started hugging her a lot. • Karen eventually learned, and accepted, that her mother had died. But those days of fright, the result of family and friends trying to "protect" her, need never have happened. Even the youngest child can under- stand, in simple terms, theconcept of death. As funeral directors, we have experience with helping children to un- derstand and accept death. Please stop by .if you would like to dis- cuss 1t. The Funeral Home in Exeter who ,s o member of 'he Onrono Funeral Service Assoc,ohon is: /l9 r FUNERAL HOME PHONF 715'2?) 11111 NI IN 1111111111 The Skr•f , r„ • , ,., ,,�� �• ,.�.:►_ sitils�a� • amen ani . ctrrnre JnoW with their sliding devices are ready to enjoy the hills of the Morrison Dam area, Sunday afternoon. 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