WHS students prepare hug bags for law enforcement - Watauga Democrat
BOONE — A student club at Watauga High School recently created approximately 100 hug bags to give to local law enforcement.
Hug bags are filled with stuffed animals, snacks, candy and other small items law enforcement officers can give to children they may encounter at potentially traumatic events.
Boone Police Officer Kat Eller said that the idea came about after talking with a community member who wanted to donate items to the police department. They got together and decided that putting items in a gallon Ziplock bag would allow officers to keep them in their trunks since officers don’t have a lot of space for extra items.
“That way, the officers can just give it to whatever kid that they may encounter that were in some sort of traumatic event whether it’s a just a simple car accident, which can be really traumatic for a kid,” Eller said. “It could be the (Department of Social Services) intervention. It could be a domestic situation. Even a traffic stop with a child in the back. Anything like that, through a child’s eyes, might be bad.”
From her experience in the field as an officer, Eller said that when a child gets a sticker or something small like that when encountering an officer can help offset the trauma they may experience.
“I mean, you just see the kids demeanor change,” Eller said.
Lydia Rothrock and Brelyn Sturgill are co-presidents of Athletes for Good, a student club at WHS. Rothrock said they look at different needs within the community and see how their organization could help.
The club tries to do one service project a month. For March, the club created the hug bags for the Boone Police Department and Watauga County Sheriff’s Office.
“Every single individual in the club who helped bring in stuff and helped package the (bags), it made them feel really good,” Rothrock said. “Just to see that we as individuals and students can make a difference in our local community and we can kind of give back feels really nice.”
Outside of club members bringing in items for the hug bags, Sturgill said they also received donations from the community. In April, Stugill said the club is looking at ways to support the Watauga County Humane Society and also Hope Pregnancy.
Eller said she is also working to find out ways to get hug bags to more law enforcement and first responders in the area.
source: https://www.wataugademocrat.com/news/local/whs-students-prepare-hug-bags-for-law-enforcement/article_60a2dc71-86f7-5391-b7fc-f371dedb703b.html
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