The Kappa Delta Sorority at Troy University was on a mission Thursday afternoon.

The KD sisters gathered on the lawn of the KD house on Sorority Hill and made the trek to the Troy Police Department a quarter-mile away.

Each KD carried a Teddy bear and collectively there were more than 200 of America’s favorite cuddly animal.

Matti Holt, Kappa Delta vice president of community service, said the KD’s philanthropy is Prevent Child Abuse America and the Teddy bear is the KDs’ mascot. The sorority sisters have found Teddy bears to be a source of comfort in their lives.

“I still have the teddy bear that I had as a child,” Matti said. “A Teddy bear gives you a feeling of home and holds a piece of your heart. It comforts you when things go wrong.”

Many of the KDs, “most of them,” have found comfort in a Teddy bear at some time in their lives as a child and “even now.”

Olivia Walker said a Teddy bear can be a great comfort in a stressful situation, especially for young children.

“A Teddy bear can be comforting to a child whose world seems to be falling apart,” she said.

Having experienced the comfort of a Teddy bear, and knowing that a cuddly Teddy bear has the potential to bring a smile to a child’s face during a difficult time, the sorority sisters collected Teddy bears to donate to the Troy Police Department.

“We wanted to give Teddy bears to the police department so the police officers would have Teddy bears to give to children who are involved in crisis situations,” Matti said. “The Teddy bears would be something for the children to hold close and something that will hopefully bring comfort to them when their lives have suddenly been disrupted.”

The KDs sought donations of Teddy bears on campus, through social media and flyers around town and the response was even better than hope.

“We have collected Teddy bears before but we wanted this to be more than a collection and donation,” Matti said. “Because so many people donated Teddy bears and other stuffed animals, we wanted the community to know that the comfort animas were going to make a difference in the lives of children. So, we marched from Sorority Hill to the Troy Police Department where we made the donation of the Teddy bears and other comfort animals.”

Capt. Danny Barron expressed appreciation to the KDs for the donation of the Teddy bears and for their thoughtful and caring spirits.

“Police officers are often faced with difficult situations in which a child is involved, including car accidents, house fires and domestic disputes,” Barron said. “Thanks to the Troy University Kappa Delta sorority, our Troy Police officers will have Teddy bears in their cars to give to a child who is involved in a bad situation. It’s amazing what a Teddy bear can do to comfort a child in a time of need.”

For KD Anna Shay Wasden, her memory of the most special Teddy bear in her life is one she holds close to her heart.

“One Christmas, I wanted a red, sparkly Teddy bear. No other color would do and, if it did not shine, I wanted nothing to do with it,” Anna Shay said, laughing. “I can only imagine my parents frantically searching for a sparkly, red teddy bear right up until Christmas Eve.”

Somehow, her parents pulled it off and Anna Shay welcomed shiny, crimson Charlie into her life.

“Charlie is a reminder of how lucky I am to have parents that would go to the ends of the earth to make me happy,” Anna Shay said.  “Unfortunately, as I am so humbly reminded through our philanthropy week, not every child is so lucky. These teddy bears that the police officers give to children in their time of need are even more special to them than Charlie was to me. They serve as a source of comfort when they have nothing but trauma in their lives. I hope that every child that is helped by the Troy Police Department feels the comfort of these bears and will one day know how Kappa Delta is advocating for their safety.”

The Kappa Delta sorority expressed appreciation to all who donated to the Teddy bear collection which was an event of the KDs’ philanthropy.

“Our philanthropy is Prevent Child Abuse America,” Matti said. “Our annual Shamrock philanthropy events benefit Prevent Child Abuse America and also the Pike Regional Child Advocacy Center in Troy.”