Gadsden-The Gadsden Lions Club was honored to have the opportunity to hand-deliver nearly 100 teddy bears (plus a few other huggable friends) to City of Gadsden’s Fire Chief Vance Brown and Assistant Fire Marshall Cameron Parnell, along with Etowah County Sheriff’s Office Chandler Nelson who is heading up the newly formed Emergency Services Unit. We are deeply grateful for all they do to serve our community, at both the city and county level.

Our guests were very appreciative of receiving the teddy bears!! They each shared about times when they have been in situations where they have given a child a teddy bear following a traumatic event, such as a house fire, and how that has helped to bring the child comfort at a time when they have lost everything. They also expressed how dealing with these types of situations and the traumatic things they see on a daily basis, can take a toll on them physically and mentally, There are some in their departments who are trained to watch for signs of distress among their peers and how to intervene when help may be needed.

The Club wishes to thank everyone who supported our mission in any way. A special thanks go to the amazing ladies at Northeast Alabama Eye Surgery Center for their contributions to the teddy bear cause!!