COURTNEY McCLURE The Standard
NORTH DURHAM: The Teddy Bear Campaign is asking for financial donations. This is a year-around campaign which accepts donations at any time.
The Teddy Bear Campaign was started by the Police Retirees of Ontario Incorporated (P.R.O.) and founded in 1992.
According to the campaign manager, Connor Campbell, the Teddy Bear Campaign addresses traumatic situations or emergencies concerning children across Ontario.
“We try to be there for the kids,” said Mr. Campbell. “We take them aside [from the situation] and give them one of these bears as a... comfort tool to let them know someone is still there [to help].”
Mr. Campbell said, the best part of working on the Teddy Bear Campaign is receiving thank-you letters from people and organizations the program has helped.
P.R.O. works with a company which makes the bears. They buy the teddy bears from the company and then send them out to organizations which may need them, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, Ottawa Victims Services, Family & Children's Services of the Waterloo Region, FACS Niagara Foundation and many more.
You can donate through their website, at policeretireesofontario.com.
P.R.O is also always hiring volunteers. Volunteering would involve calling numerous people across Ontario and asking for donations toward the Teddy Bear Campaign.
While P.R.O. is not a “registered charity”, they have raised a large sum of funds to help out children across the province. They work hard to provide P.R.O. Teddy Bears to many organizations throughout Ontario, with the help of their sponsors.
For more information about the Teddy Bears, for Retired Police Officers Campaign, please call 1-844-323-4003 or email info@beyondthebadge.ca.
To learn more about this campaign please visit the campaign website.