Hundreds of Teddy Bears Spread Love, Comfort Across the RGV

by Maple Frye, Bonham’s Bears secretary/treasurer

March 6, Bonham’s Bears sponsored a teddy bear giveaway at the Green Bay South Clubhouse in La Feria. First responders and organizations who help children in crisis were invited to enjoy light refreshments and free teddy bears. We gave 450 teddy bears to eight organizations. A ninth organization, Loaves and Fishes, was dealing with a COVID outbreak and asked to pick up their teddy bears later.

During 2022, we also gave away 274 pet pillows to the Rio Grande Valley Humane Society under our Scraps for Scruffy Project. Bonham’s Bears is an all-volunteer organization based at Green Bay South, but we have volunteers from Park Place, Rio Valley Estates, and Citrus Village.

Here are some descriptions of how the teddy bears and pet pillows help.

La Feria Fire and Police: It’s good to give children something to hang on to when they’re scared. We want to make a bad day better. The police carry the teddy bears in their cars and need them to give at Christmas time.

Family Crisis Center: We give away all the teddy bears we receive. Children often go to shelters with nothing, so they get teddy bears for comfort. At our Repeat Performance store, located at 124 W. Jackson in Harlingen, you can drop off donations. Our clients get vouchers to get items free from the store. We operate shelters in Brownsville, McAllen, and Harlingen. When our shelters are full, we get help from Loaves and Fishes.

Harlingen Police: The teddy bears help form a connection between toys and police. We use teddy bears to comfort children at accident scenes, and we drop off the teddy bears and toys at the Family Crisis Center. We also use the teddy bears in presentations. One homicide officer spoke of having to give death notifications to families. Children see strangers with guns and hear the news that a loved one will never return. They are scared and traumatized. We use the teddy bears to create a positive outlook.

Children’s Bereavement Center: The Children’s Bereavement Center is free. Besides the one in Harlingen, there was recently a grand opening of a 10,000-square-foot center in

McAllen. Trained counselors work with children long-term (up to 24 years old) and also support the whole family/caregiver. We put the teddy bears in our “Buddy Barn,” where children can pick a toy and take it home with them.

Ronald McDonald House: We have merged with the Ronald McDonald House in Corpus Christi and are now Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Texas. We closed the external house in Harlingen but kept the Family Room at Valley Baptist Medical Center and operate a larger Family Room at South Texas Health System Children’s (Hospital) in Edinburg. Families can get coffee and snacks and have a chance to re-boot, then quickly and easily visit with the patient. We give the teddy bears on holidays, birthdays, and as part of a “cheer up” basket.

Cameron County Children’s Advocacy Center (CCCAC): The CCCAC carefully and professionally interviews abused children and shares the interviews with other professionals (police, social workers, legal workers, etc.) so children don’t have to repeat their traumatic experience to multiple interested organizations. To show you how helpful the teddy bears are, one adult woman still treasures the teddy bear she got as a child.

Monica’s House is named after Monica Castille, a five-year-old abused child who died from injuries. Maggie’s House is named after Maggie Whitman, a baby who did not survive her babysitter’s abuse. In Raymondville, a yet unnamed house is expected to be named after an abused Raymondville boy.

Humane Society: We are excited to get pet pillows; the animals love not lying on hard floors. We are the Rio Grande Valley Humane Society and take in pets from Harlingen--and soon from Mission--because these two cities have contracts that fund the “no-kill” Humane Society. We offer pet adoptions, low-cost monthly vaccinations, and services provided by a part-time veterinarian.

Harlingen Fire: Harlingen firefighters responded to an emergency at Green Bay South and did not have the chance to talk to us. We were fortunate that they were so near and so willing to help, demonstrating that they, indeed, are first responders. After handling the emergency, the firefighters returned and received their teddy bears. •