Troop of 200 trauma bears to comfort kids in North Okanagan, Shuswap

RCMP vehicles throughout the North Okanagan and Shuswap will be carrying new plush bears for officers to hand out to children impacted by trauma. North Okanagan Shuswap Crime Stoppers Society bought 200 plush bears, named Roary and Cooper, for frontline officers at detachments in Vernon, Armstrong, Enderby, Lumby, Falkland, Salmon Arm, Sicamous, and Revelstoke, according to a media release issued today, May 27. “As first responders, whether it’s at a collision, fire or other emergency, we often interact with kids who have been exposed to some form of trauma,” Vernon RCMP spokesperson Const. Chris Terleski said in the release.  “To give a child a plush bear might seem like a small thing, but in that moment, it’s a small thing that can have a big impact.” Crime Stoppers society president Julie Pion said they felt the bears would be a tangible way to make a difference. “We hope these bears can ease the difficulty of what’s happening for these children at least a little bit and provide some comfort for them,” she said in the release. To submit a tip to Crime Stoppers call 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online here https://www.nokscrimestoppers.com/ . To contact a reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander mailto:halexander@infonews.ca  or call 250-309-5343 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tip@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .