THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 21, 1997 TAG: 9702210820
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: JEFFREY S. HAMPTON, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: 92 lines
One night about six months ago, an 18-month-old girl was brought to the police department. Her mother had abandoned her during a crack cocaine binge.
The girl's big, brown eyes filled with tears.
Her white dress was a little soiled and her short, light brown hair needed combing. A wet diaper had created a terrible rash. She was afraid and alone among large men in uniforms and badges.
Officers J.W. Bright and J.P. Avery were assigned to find out who the girl was and make sure she received proper care. One of the first things they did was give her a small, cream-colored teddy bear.
She hugged the bear, and her crying subsided.
Of all the programs, principles and practices used by police to meld with the community, perhaps the most loved by the officers is giving stuffed animals to children.
``There are lots of times that kids are sitting there, and their parents are being arrested,'' said Capt. Mervyn Raby of the Elizabeth City Police Department. ``That's a terrible thing.''
From drug addicts to shoplifters, police regularly arrest people - usually mothers - with small children.
Raby is a burly veteran who's gone head to head with the most hardened criminals. When he speaks of these children, he melts.
``We'll give them a bear,'' he said. ``I've got a big one in the trunk of my car right now.''
The city's officers have handed out hundreds of bears over the last couple of years. Not far from Raby's office is a closet full of bears where officers can restock when needed. Most of the stuffed bears come from Milly Sweetenham, a native of Elizabeth City who now lives in Atlanta.
``When I moved to Atlanta, I was so homesick for Elizabeth City,'' Sweetenham said from her office where she's a state employee. ``The bears are my way of helping my hometown.''
Sweetenham spends most of her weekends at yard sales buying stuffed bears. Often, when the yard sale proprietors hear why she's buying bears, they give her every one they've got.
Ruth Neil, who works with Sweetenham, gave her some bears that belonged to her 8-year-old daughter, Amanda. She didn't particularly want to part with even a few of her bears.
``She cried as she put some in a bag,'' said Neil, who convinced her daughter that the bears would be making an unfortunate child happy. Amanda, though saddened, decided it was good to share her bears.
``She told her bears, `I want you going to somebody who needs you,''' said Neil.
The fluffy, cuddly bears pile up around Sweetenham's home between visits to Elizabeth City. When it's time for a visit home, she pulls down the attic stairs and bears tumble to the floor.
She packs four suitcases - one for her clothing and three for bears.
Sweetenham took up the hobby of buying bears two years ago when a women's group at First Christian Church on Parsonage Street decided it needed a service project.
Lt. Frank Cutchens, now retired, was a speaker at one of their meetings and mentioned the police could no longer afford bears for children. The ECPD had bought a few new bears to give to children, but new bears were very expensive. There were more children needing bears than the budget allowed.
Sweetenham, her mother, Gracie White, and others from the church began collecting bears and bringing them to the police station. If one is torn or needs cleaning, the women repair and wash it.
``These are just caring people, giving of themselves and not expecting recognition,'' said Raby. ``They're just fine folks.''
``I've really got my heart into it, now,'' said Sweetenham. ``I've become obsessed with it. I'm addicted to it.''
The positive effects of stuffed animals for traumatized children have been proven in many studies, said Joe Bunch, director of Kids First, a nationally certified child advocacy center in Elizabeth City. Bunch stocks the center, a converted old home on Fearing Street, with dozens of stuffed animals. The staff gives them to children who need counseling because of abuse.
``It's basically contact comfort,'' said Bunch. ``Something warm and cuddly can do that.''
Bunch said an added dimension is the effect on the police officers.
``I think it brings about a change in the police officer's behavior,'' said Bunch. ``It may create a more positive environment in the entire police station.''
The 18-month-old girl comforted by Officers Bright and Avery was taken to the Albemarle Hospital for treatment of the diaper rash. Later her grandparents took her home.
Throughout the ordeal, she held tightly to her teddy bear. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
JEFFREY S. HAMPTON/The Virginian-Pilot
Officers Robin Vanscoy, left, and J.S. Jones stand by a group of
bears that, officers say, have been a great comfort to children.
Most of the stuffed animals come from Milly Sweetenham, an Elizabeth
City native who now lives in Atlanta. She buys them be the dozens at
yard sales.