Stuffed animals donated to Sheriff’s Office
A local organization has teamed with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office to comfort children involved in traumatic situations.
The Island Coast AIDS Network recently donated seven boxes of teddy bears and other stuffed animals to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. Stuffed animals are routinely given by responding deputies and victim’s advocates to children suffering in crisis situations such as traffic accidents, sexual assaults or domestic violence. The stuffed animals can have a calming effect on youngsters experiencing traumatic events.
I.C.A.N. operates a home improvement thrift store at United Plaza, 13971 North Cleveland Avenue, in North Fort Myers. The store accepts donations and turns them into cash to help those in the surrounding area with HIV and AIDS.
However, instead of selling off these new stuffed animals, store manager Vince Marcucci saw the teddy bears staring him in the face and decided there might be a better place for them. “We recently received the stuffed animals from private individuals and thought this would be an ideal chance to do something for the kids,” says Marcucci.