Licensed in Missouri and Kansas

Bears on Patrol Donations Support Kansas City Missouri Police Department

The officers of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department are often faced with tough situations. When a child is involved, that tough situation can be heartbreaking. Offering comfort is a small act of kindness that can ease the pain and tension of a situation and show that the officer is a friend, ready to help.

That’s why the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) created a “Bears on Patrol” program. This program provides a stuffed animal to small children during challenging situations to help them cope. They collect those bears via donations, something we’re proud to be part of.

In collaboration with the Kansas City Paralegal Association (KCPA), we contributed 658 bears to the organization. In a friendly competition among Kansas City law firms, we won the award (for a second year in a row) for the most stuffed animals collected by a small firm. In total the KCPA collected 3,355 bears for the KCPD.

Two of our paralegals, Erin Hessenflow and Katelyn Ryan, led the charge.

“The bears are an important tool for the officers when words of comfort aren’t enough. When an officer gives a child a new teddy bear to cuddle it not only helps the officers connect to those children, but also helps calm the kids down and deal with stress they don’t understand,” Paralegal and KCPA Second Vice President, Erin Hessenflow, explained. “I am grateful to work with such a supportive law firm that is always ready to help the community in which we live and work.”

“Its awesome to see so many law firms and legal vendors come together to create a difference in our community and help these children,” Paralegal and KCPA Public Relations Director, Katelyn Ryan, shared. “The KCPA is the only organization in Kansas City to do this so we essentially stock the KCPD and all six of their divisions.”

“It was great being there when the donation was made,” Katelyn, said. “The officers were so thankful and Officer Andy Hamil, the Community Interaction Officer of Central Patrol Division, shared how the kids often take a long time to pick out their bear because there is such a variety.”

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Learn more about the Bears on Patrol program here: https://kcparalegals.org/Bears-on-Patrol

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