Bear With Me

There is something about holding a stuffed animal that has a calming effect on a person.

Hospital workers, paramedics, and police officers have long recognized the comfort that a teddy bear can bring to children who find themselves in a stressful situation. So, when the residents of Carriage House Gracious Retirement Living in Oxford Florida heard about a teddy bear drive that local first responders had put together, they decided to get involved. And get involved in a big way.

The word was put out and circulated throughout the communal building. And the bears started trickling in. Different sizes, different colors, different shapes. The menagerie continued to grow. Soon plush dogs and fuzzy rabbits began to join the teddy bears. They outgrew the original donation box; they had to be moved out of the manager’s office for lack of space. They finally took over the staircase in the central lobby where they are temporarily watching over the same people who so lovingly provided them to help children in need. Local officials will be by early next week to collect this cuddly zoo and put them into service.

Well done seniors. It would appear there’s no age limit on acts of kindness.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories through the digitalization of film, videotapes, audio recordings, photos, negatives and slides. For more information, call 352-735-850 or visit our website.