Torquay Lions Club has received a Certificate of Appreciation for its teddy bears and koala project.
Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) Torquay unit controller Mark Heaysman presented the certificate to Torquay Lions service chair Catherine Rowe and Lion Bill Ferguson on Monday, July 10.
Mr Ferguson said the club distributed teddy bears and koalas to the local police, VICSES, Country Fire Authority (CFA) and ambulance personnel to give out to traumatised youth.
“Those emergency response people are often the ones that deal with situations where there’s trauma or some sort of emergency has occurred,” he said.
“We give them these bears so that they can hand them over and maybe that provides some comfort for the child and family.”
Mr Ferguson said the club regularly provides teddy bears and koalas to the local emergency services and that they all do a “fabulous job”.
“We can all visualise how children involved in some unsuspecting event can be disturbed at not understanding what is happening around them,” he said.
“The bears and koalas are just one other way Torquay Lions is able to serve its local community through the services of others.”
Mr Ferguson said the club was looking to potentially deliver more teddy bears and koalas to needy families through Torquay Lion’s work with Feed Me Surf Coast.
“You see a lot of people who are doing it tough and in need in that situation too,” he said.
“We were thinking about taking bears with us on some of those runs because it’s not uncommon to deliver food to a single mum with a couple of kids. So that will cheer up their day as well.”
