How a Saskatoon woman's teddy bears help soothe kids coping with trauma during abuse investigations
A woman in Saskatoon is helping provide comfort to children when they need it most with her sewing machine and quilting scraps.
Flo Wagner has been quilting for 10 years and noticed she had a lot of leftover materials. Wagner didn’t want to throw them away, so she got creative.
“I started making these little bears and I gave them to my children, grandchildren and family friends and then I just needed to find a home for more of them,” Wagner told CTV News.
Some of the bears feature Batman, Star Wars and Avengers material while others are made of colourful solid colours. She says it roughly takes her about one afternoon to create one bear.
What started as a hobby for Wagner has taken on added significance.
Wagner has a family friend who works with the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) who suggested she contact Detective Sgt. Joanne Smallbones, who works in the child abuse and sex crimes unit, to donate her extra bears.
Smallbones took Wagner up on her offer. Now the bears are offered to kids who are coping with traumatic situations.
"It makes me happy that someone is using them and that they’re serving a purpose," Wagner said.
Smallbones says she was “really touched” when Flo reached out.
“We see a lot of negative things in our career and a lot of people that are really critical and it was really nice to see somebody reach out that wanted to do something for the kids that we see,” Smallbones said.
She says the unit investigates child abuse and often inerviews children who may witness a traumatic event.Smallbones says it’s nice to leave “something positive” for the children after they come through the station.
“The children are always overjoyed, it’s often difficult if we let them come in and choose because they want one of everything, most times we’ll pick one and give it out.”
Smallbones says it gives investigators a great feeling to give them out, as they can’t necessarily take away their trauma, but can give a small gift at the end.
While SPS can’t accept donations, the Saskatoon Police Service Foundation is a non-profit organization that can accept funds from the community.
Since funding is limited, according to Smallbones, the unit saves Wagner’s teddy bears for the “really traumatic cases” as they’re always worried about running out.
“Every kid deserves one clearly, but there’s only one Flo, she’s doing her best and we really do appreciate it.”
Wagner says she’s sent over 15 bears to the unit and says she’ll keep continuing to do so in the near future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.