CHARLESTON – Sometimes, nothing comforts a child like a special stuffed friend. That's why Warner Law Offices wants to help put teddy bears and other stuffed friends into the hands of children who have been abused.
When a case of child abuse is reported, children are taken to a Child Advocacy Center, a place where counselors, attorneys and police work together to protect the children and help them to heal. To support the CAC's effort, Warner Law Offices is conducting a teddy bear drive. New stuffed animals are being collected and will be distributed to the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) and its 20-member centers throughout the state.
“It's important to give these children something they can hang onto during a potentially scary time,” Stacy Deel, awareness and development specialist for the WVCAN, told The West Virginia Record. The stuffed animals are given to the children as they are leaving the center regardless of what occurs during the visit.
The number of cases served by the West Virginia CAC has jumped almost 50 percent in five years, said Tara Bartlett, marketing director for Warner Law Offices. Seventy-five percent of the children served were younger than 13.
“We at WVCAN don't believe there has been an increase in child abuse but rather more children are making disclosures that abuse is happening,” Deel said. “Children are learning it's OK to tell a trusted adult if something is wrong."
Communities see the value of CAC services because of the impact it has on children and families. They want children to have access to these healing resources, Deel said.
“As part of our efforts to give back to the community, this year our staff wanted to do something to give back to a local organization but we wanted to do more than just donate money," Bartlett said. "We wanted to get people in the community involved and to raise awareness for an organization's mission.”
Earlier this year Warner set up drop-off locations for flood relief supplies so the community could work together to bring in donations for flood victims, Bartlett said. The result was truck loads of supplies being taken to the affected areas in Clay County.
Warner's case manager Brittany Barnett, suggested Warner help an organization that serves children this season. WVCAN is a perfect fit because its mission is closely tied to the services Warner provides, Bartlett said.
Donations of new stuffed animals can be taken to Warner Law Offices, 227 Capitol St., Charleston. Drop-off times are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, Nov. 14 to Dec. 12.
