PAWS teddy bears help children in crisis

The endeavor is more than a warm and fuzzy sentiment: Over the past 20 years, the Professional Association of Women's Services (PAWS), has supplied more than 20,000 plush, child-safe teddy bears to children in need who have experienced abuse, injury, stress, trauma or tragedy.

"One of our members is a liaison for the [Southern Arizona] Child Advocacy Center and she sees the kids' reactions after the interview process. She sees how it affects the child as they take the bear off the shelf and hug it," said Karen Heider, co-chairwoman with Julie Trujillo of the upcoming Fourth Annual Teddy Bear Tea.

The tea is the signature fund-raising event for PAWS, an auxiliary of the Assistance League of Tucson. After deciding to focus on traumatized children, the auxiliary designated Project Teddy Bear its flagship community project.

Teddy bears are distributed through 20 local law enforcement agencies, hospitals, schools and organizations serving children in crisis. The organizations include Child Protective Services, Kino Hospital, La Frontera Center, Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, Reach Out & Read Southern Arizona and University Medical Center Child Life Specialists.

Over the years, PAWS has expanded its efforts to include the Groom for Success Program, which provides grooming kits filled with toiletries for homeless and economically challenged youth through organizations like Youth On Their Own and Tucson Youth Development. The Food for Thought Program provides nutritious snacks and drinks for children during interviews and examinations at the Southern Arizona Child Advocacy Center.

The auxiliary's educational outreach has ranged from support of Hooked on Books and the TUSD Refugee Task Force to Ace Charter High School and the Sunnyside School District Parents as Teachers Program.

The auxiliary offers an opportunity for a diverse group of 30 women — members range in age from 20-something to over 60 and include real estate agents, nurses, teachers and professionals of all kinds — to make a difference while accommodating the time constraints of work and family, said PAWS chairwoman Peggy Cambridge.

Each bear is packaged with a card requesting a brief description of why the child received the bear and how he or she reacted.

"We get some really heart-rending cards back saying the child received the bear when they lost a parent or family member in an accident or when they were removed from the home with only the clothes on their back because of abuse," Cambridge said. "When they receive the bear, they say, 'Can I keep this? Is it really mine?' "

Heider, a contract transcription supervisor with the Pima County Sheriff's Department, said the individual stories speak to the significance of small acts of kindness in times of crisis.

"There are lots of organizations that give teddy bears during the holidays, but we do this year-round," Heider said. "Sometimes it is the only thing a child has to move forward with."

If You Go

What: Fourth Annual Teddy Bear Tea.

When: Noon and 3 p.m. Oct. 4

Where: The Ventana Room at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort, 7000 N. Resort Drive.

Cost: $45 per person ($20 of which is tax-deductible) or $85 for two.

Festivities include high tea and a fashion show. Guests can buy teddy bears to dress for $25 each.

A raffle will feature miscellaneous items along with gift certificates to Trader Joe's, Artisan Salon and local restaurants and retailers, as well as 16 theme baskets such as Family Fun, Bellissima! Spa Basket, Wildcat Lover and Grillin' & Chillin'. Raffle tickets are $2 each or six for $10 and you need not be present to win.

To make a reservation for the tea, buy raffle tickets, or to sponsor a child from a PAWS-affiliated agency to attend the event, contact Julie Trujillo at 906-1873.