The idea stemmed from a ministry at Canton Preparatory High School (a small charter school): the Teddy Bear Project. Whenever a student or staff member has experienced loss or needs extra encouragement, that person's name is passed along to teacher Elizabeth Harsany, and she will put a new or gently-used stuffed animal in their locker or on their desk accompanied by a card letting them know that they are loved and supported.
Just 50 miles away from the horrific scene, we were sad, we were angry, and we were scared. We also felt helpless and wanted to do something: a stuffed animal drive.
The idea stemmed from a ministry at Canton Preparatory High School (a small charter school): the Teddy Bear Project. Whenever a student or staff member has experienced loss or needs extra encouragement, that person's name is passed along to me and I will put a new or gently-used stuffed animal in their locker or on their desk accompanied by a card letting them know that they are loved and supported. During virtual learning, this ministry hit the road with home drop offs which also allowed me to see my students in person.
We began collecting stuffed animals for Oxford. At the end of our first three days, we had 87; however by the end of the collection period (1 1/2 weeks), we had 1,470! God blessed us with the use of social media and two of our local news stations who came to our school to interview me. Donations came from Oklahoma (where I am from), from the Red Cross, from 7-Eleven, and from members of our local community. Some brought one item, while others brought truck loads.
We were able to take them to Oxford in a truck that was donated for the day by Penske in Plymouth. Two of us drove to Oxford to deliver them to Oakland County Emergency/Relief services where they will be passed out during a special social gathering for the kids at their local community center.
For us, it helped students and staff to process this tragedy because it allowed us to show support, love, and compassion to others.
Elizabeth Harsany, a member of the Inkster Sharon Church, teaches English at Canton Prep School.
