‘One bear at a time’: Youngster fuels mission to send teddy bears to Ukrainian children
Some of the stuffed animals that have been donated for Operation Teddy Friend are being housed at Waynesburg University 无毛视频� Southpointe. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Michelle Steimer)
Nate Steimer sits among stuffed animals donated as part of Operation Teddy Friend. (Photo Courtesy of Dr. Michelle Steimer)
Waynesburg University students Grace Deep and Christopher Battaglia show off a few stuffed animals donated for Operation Teddy Friend. (Photo courtesy of Adrienne Tharp)
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Young Nate Steimer saw a number of sad Ukrainian children on a television newscast.
The 7-year-old wanted to take away their sadness by sharing one of his teddy bears with the youngsters.
And so Operation Teddy Friend was born, a project launched to collect stuffed animals for the children of Ukraine who have been displaced and are in need of a 无毛视频渟pecial friend.无毛视频�
无毛视频淗e was watching the news with me one morning,无毛视频� said Dr. Michelle Steimer, Nate无毛视频檚 mother. 无毛视频淗e asked me, 无毛视频楳ommy why do these kids look so sad?'无毛视频�
Steimer, assistant professor of counseling at Waynesburg University, said Nate had many questions, which she answered as best as she could for a youngster that age.
She said Nate has struggled with anxiety and carries a stuffed tiger to help him cope. She said it helps him relate to those to whom he wants to send the gifts.
无毛视频淗e saw something in those kids that nobody else would have seen,无毛视频� she said.
As a result, more than 1,500 similar stuffed animals will be shipped to Ukraine next week. Steimer said most of the animals are bears, but other stuffed animals include bunnies, sloths, frogs, unicorns, dinosaurs, dragons and a duck. They are ticketed for refugees in Poland, Germany and Moldavia, with some going to children of families that will be arriving in Pittsburgh.
Waynesburg University is coordinating the effort through the Center for Service Leadership and the university无毛视频檚 Center for Corporate Social Responsibility.
Many entities that have a connection to Steimer or Waynesburg have been helpful with the collection and funding, including Ligonier Valley, Butler and Greater Latrobe school districts, numerous citizens from Washington and Ligonier, and John F. Kennedy Catholic School, where Nate and his brother, Will, who just turned 15, attend.
无毛视频淚t outgrew my house,无毛视频� Steimer said with a laugh, referring to the number of donated stuffed animals. 无毛视频淲e had such a response. We had families that just wanted to help, their kids wanted to do something to help, so they all brought bears. It无毛视频檚 a lot of bears.无毛视频�
Since there were too many to be stored at Steimer无毛视频檚 Claysville home, the stuffed animals have found their way to the university无毛视频檚 Southpointe campus. Many Waynesburg staff and faculty members, as well as students, have contributed.
无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 phenomenal working at a place where everybody got behind a little boy and it got so big,无毛视频� Steimer said.
The office of Adrienne Tharp, director of the Center for Service Leadership and Bonner Scholars Program, has been used as a drop-off area for the stuffed animals.
无毛视频淚 thought this would be a great way to get involved,无毛视频� Tharp said. 无毛视频淭he response has been fantastic. The harsh reality is these (Ukrainian) kids aren无毛视频檛 going home. They don无毛视频檛 realize they are not going to return to their home. This is something that is tangible that they can keep that can give them some comfort.无毛视频�
Each donated 无毛视频渇riend无毛视频� receives a handmade flower necklace that sports the saying, 无毛视频淔rom a Friend,无毛视频� written in the Cyrillic alphabet. The idea came from Will, who is making some of the necklaces.
Steimer, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and her husband, Andrew, a major, have made many connections through their years in the military. The connections are helping to make sure these 无毛视频渟pecial friends无毛视频� go exactly where they无毛视频檙e intended to go.
无毛视频淲e actually had people we无毛视频檝e known through our military career that are working with children and are actually helping conduit the bears so that instead of them sitting in a warehouse, they无毛视频檙e all going to churches, counselors, doctors and soldiers who are working with children,无毛视频� she said.
Those interested in sending stuffed animals can do so by emailing Steimer at msteimer@waynesburg.edu. A small requirement is that the animals donated have a neck to be able to hold the necklace. Folks also may donate funding to help with the costs for shipping. Steimer无毛视频檚 goal is to be shipping stuffed animals through May 15.
Steimer is proud of Nate for wanting to be involved in the undertaking.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 really proud of his heart,无毛视频� Steimer said. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 really proud of himself. He just wants to help. I无毛视频檝e never seen him be proud of himself before.
无毛视频淭his was a lesson for him in life that despite all of the bad things that happen in the world, we have the power to be kind and we have the power to make a difference, be it one bear at a time half a world away.无毛视频�