Smith Employees Participate in Stuffed Animal Drive for Local Kids

Sometimes police respond to a call to find that there are children at the scene who have experienced traumatic or upsetting situations. It can often help calm and comfort these kids when there is something to hold on to. Many police officers keep stuffed animals on-hand for these cases that the children can then keep with them.

Smith employees recently took part in an effort to help provide supplies for these situations. Employees from our headquarters and operations hub in Houston donated 61 stuffed animals to the Houston Police Department to help those kids in need.

“It was so exciting to see our donation bins fill up week after week with stuffed animals,” said Charlee Wallace, Executive Assistant and coordinator with Smith’s CSR committee. “This initiative really struck a chord with our Smith family. When it comes to children facing these tough situations, we all wanted to help in some way. We hope these animals can bring them comfort.”

HPD will utilize the stuffed animals in one of two ways. Officers will either carry these toys in the trunks of their patrol cars and give them to the children who are on-scene, or the toys will go to the Badges and Bears program. This initiative provides stuffed animals to young patients at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.

“We wanted to make the children smile and take their minds off why they are at the hospital,” said HPD Officer J. Lahar, who came up with the idea for Badges and Bears, in a press release. “It’s our hope that a positive visit from a police officer can aid the patients in taking a break from the challenges they might be facing in their lives. It also gives us an opportunity to answer questions the kids might have about a profession in law enforcement.”

Keep up with Smith’s CSR efforts at Smith Gives Back, or follow our Instagram (@smithweb) for a look at what we’re up to in our community.