Teaching kids through teddy bear health

THIS year’s Good Friday Appeal will mark a furry first for one of the region’s Country Women’s Association.

Members of the Inverleigh branch are set to run their debut teddy bear hospital as part of the Inverleigh and District’s fundraiser event next month.

The group’s secretary Michelle Darcy introduced the project with the aim of conveying the purpose of the Good Friday Appeal to younger people.

“I came up with the idea last year for this,” she said. “I felt like our event didn’t have a good link between letting children know and understand about what the Appeal is all about.

“My children often ask ‘why are we raising money for sick kids?’ and there was never a link at our event to bring that into play.

“Previously we ran a jam and preserve store.

“I’d heard about places like Monash doing toy hospitals where they get junior nurses and doctors out into the public as a way to educate so I thought I’d bring some of that here.”

The Inverleigh CWA branch members are calling on the community to donate their used teddy bears to be bandaged and gifted to kids on the day for $5.

Ms Darcy said the teddy bear hospital will be fun and educational for kids.

“A child will come into our little tent, choose one of the teddies, then us CWA ladies will help them bandage their teddy bear and they can tell us how it’s feeling,” she said.

“It’ll be very interactive with posters from the Royal Children’s Hospital and medical facts for them.

“We’ve got a toy x-ray and we’ve been collecting bandages and toy syringes and stethoscopes. We’ve had some donations from Geelong Medical Supplies and local pharmacies.”

Teddy bears must be larger than 18 centimetres, and can be dropped off at Inverleigh Primary School or Inverleigh Kindergarten until Wednesday, 5 April.

Donations can also be made by calling Ms Darcy on 0438 822 573 or branch president Eliza Peel at 0438 351 4843.

The Inverleigh and District Good Friday Appeal will take place on Friday, 7 April at Victoria Park, where the teddy bear hospital will run from 1pm to 3pm.