December 10, 2014
Teddy bears on patrol Recipes
Breakfast and Beyond
11
Around Town
4
Free Job Training Program
Photo by Ray Rockwell
Hazelwood Police Officer Robert McIntosh holds teddy bears the officers carry with them to help comfort traumatized children while standing outside the Hazelwood Police Station on Dec. 4.
Hazelwood police officers carry stuffed animals in their patrol cars to help traumatized children
Feature Section
By Sara Hardin
Holiday Shopping Guide
The Hazelwood Police Department participate in the competitive program has a unique solution for kids who are that helps develop young girls’ self-eson the scene during a stressful or trau- teem and self-improvement. matic situation: teddy bears. Jenna Waldhoff, head coach for the The teddy bears are kept in the trunks McNair Elementary Girls on the Run of the Hazelwood squad cars, ready to team, spoke about her experience with be placed into the arms of a child who this year’s team and the process the is on the scene for a traffic accident, girls went through to raise money for house fire, crime or any incident that the bears. would be difficult for a “Part of the Girls on the child to cope with. Run Program is completOfficer Doug McGarry, “It helps put ing a community service Supervisor of the Neighproject, and we thought ease to the borhood Action Team for that the teddy bears were children’s Hazelwood Police Departan excellent idea. I thought minds,” ment, said that the teddy we would have enough for said Officer about 20 bears, and the bears have been around in the department for a long girls just blew us away; they McGarry. time as an effort to make raised over $600, so we difficult situations easier to bought 75 bears!” handle when a child is present. The McNair team was awarded the “It helps put ease to the children’s Bill & Amy Koman Award for Excelminds,” said Officer McGarry. “Even if lence in Community Service as a result no one is hurt it could be traumatic for of their success with the fundraiser. a child.” Waldhoff said that the team was This fall, a group of girls from Mc- happy to help the police department, Nair Elementary worked as a team to especially because of its involvement in raise money to provide more bears for helping the Girls on the Run team prethe Hazelwood Police Department. pare for the 5K races that are a part of The team was part of the Girls on the the program each season. Run program, a physical activity-based “The Hazelwood Police Department positive youth development program has been an integral part of our pracfor girls between the third and eighth tice 5K. This is the second year they’ve grade. 131 schools in the St. Louis area helped us. They really went above and
beyond to help us. They blocked intersections and followed us to make sure we were safe.” Overall, Waldhoff said the fundraiser was a huge success and that the teddy bears are a great and unique way to handle situations where there are children present. “I really like how the officers already have the bears in their trunks, so that if they come across any accident scenes they can have them available for kids to feel more comfortable.”
School
5
7
Mayor Helps Serve the Hungry
“Whiplash” photo courtesy of Bold Films
Movie FREE Online Subscription at mycnews.com
7