On Dec. 24, a group of Masons rode their motorcycles to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to deliver 50 stuffed Teddy Bears to the Sheriff’s Office to be given to children who have experienced a traumatic event. This initiative began with the Winchester Hiram Lodge No. 21 and since then more than 1,000 bears purchased with contributions from members of their lodge and other interested people have been given the law enforcement and fire departments in the northern Shenandoah Valley including the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

The bears are given to children as a security blanket in frightening circumstances: such as a fire at their home, an automobile wreck, or a situation where the child may be experiencing a traumatic event. The Bears help a child who may be scared of the events developing around them. This not only assists in calming the child it helps serve as a bonding act between the officer and the child. This act enhances the idea that the officer is a friend and helper instead of a person whom the child should fear.