GREELEY, Colo. — Acts of kindness can start at any age. For one University High School senior in Greeley, a simple childhood comfort has inspired a community project to help children during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
Mariah Jones is spending her final year of high school collecting donations to purchase teddy bears for local first responders. The goal is to give officers and other emergency personnel something they can offer children who are scared or upset at the scene of an emergency.
“I’m doing a teddy bear drive for first responders,” Jones said. “So I’m gonna collect mostly donations to go and purchase teddy bears to give to first responder stations local to me, so they can keep teddy bears in the back of their vehicles.”
For Jones, the idea is personal.
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She said she grew up loving stuffed animals and remembers the comfort they brought her as a child.
“I always loved getting teddy bears as a kid,” Jones said. “And there are so many kids that, like, experience traumatic events, and I think just a simple teddy bear can make the day so much better after something so terrible happens.”
Jones has reached out to local first responders, including the Windsor Police Department, to help make her senior project a reality.
Adora Shumar, a community engagement officer with Windsor Police, said she was impressed by Jones’ idea and wanted to help.
“I thought it was a really cool project that she’s working on, and wanted to help her out as it’s a donation,” Shumar said.
And officers already know how much a small gesture like that can mean.
Shumar recalled responding to a traffic accident where children were in the back seat while multiple people were injured.
“There was a traffic accident where we had a lot of people injured, and there were kids in the back seat, and they were crying and upset on scene,” Shumar said. “So we gave them a teddy bear, and it kind of helped them bring comfort as well to calm them down.”
Jones’ father, Robert, said he is proud to see his daughter find a way to help others.
Robert Jones said he has worked closely with military personnel and first responders throughout his career.
“I love the idea,” he said. “I’ve been in the military for 21 years, worked with the military and first responders, you know, day in and day out, and to see that she’s gonna do this and have that impact on these small kids, I think it’s outstanding.”
Jones initially set a goal of 5,000 teddy bears, but she said she doesn’t have a strict endpoint.
“I set it at 5,000. I don’t have an exact goal,” Jones said. “Each teddy bear is about five to $10, so I would like to collect as many as possible.”
As of Thursday, Jones had raised $565 toward the project.
She still has a long way to go to reach her goal, but she hopes the community will help her turn a simple idea into something that can bring comfort to children when they need it most.
