By Brian Livingston / staff writer
While Greisha Naylor and Dorothy Carter were busy putting stuffed animals on a table to roll into the cafeteria of Golden Living Center on Hwy. 39 North, Sallie Gray was barking out orders like an Army drill sergeant.
Naylor, the activities director and Carter, the assistant activities director, just smiled and did as Gray said. This was Gray's project as a resident of the living center and they were just doing what they were told. But everyone was pitching in for a worthy cause. A cause of which many people in the general public aren't even aware.
"I had seen these sorts of things in the news before and thought this would be a great project for us," said Gray, who is the chairperson for Project Teddy Bear. "We can't get out and collect donations like a lot of people can so we rely on ourselves to fill the need."
The need is that of children who for whatever reason are exposed to criminal activity or who have been involved in traffic accidents. Law enforcement officers like Guyton Montgomery with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department and Lt. Wade Johnson of the Meridian Police Department have seen firsthand how children are sucked up into tragic and stressful situations by the acts of adults. Both officers say a little gesture can go a long way into helping the child deal with such trauma.
"These teddy bears and other stuffed animals will be used to give to children who are distraught or traumatized in some way," said Montgomery, who said during his career he has given out approximately 50 stuffed animals to children. "These small tokens really do work."
Gray, Naylor and Carter asked the residents and staff members at the living center to donate what they could. In some cases, said Gray, the residents gave up stuffed animals they have had for quite some time. Once the stuffed animals were collected they were cleaned and fluffed up so they would be soft and cuddly for the child when they received it.
"These are great for when kids are involved in traffic accidents," said Johnson. "You wouldn't believe how calm they get when they have something to hold onto."
And both officers agree, law enforcement personnel handing out stuffed animals to children does shine a different light on how those kids perceive officers.
"This is really a great thing and we've collected about 30 stuffed animals this time around," said Naylor. "A few weeks of work will hopefully bring a smile to a child in a time of need. That gives us a great thing to think about."
