I work for a shelter in the KC Northland and we recently partnered with the Assistance League Kansas City to provide teddy bears to the children we serve. Our shelter provides a safe place for children to go when they are in crisis. The children are often scared and have recently experience a traumatic event. We try to make the children feel more comfortable by having friendly bedrooms for them to stay in, with an Assistance League teddy bear placed next to their pillow. This may be the first object a child reaches for when they enter their new bedroom. We often see children holding their bears tightly, thankful to have something soft and comfortable to call their own.