Teddy Bears Say 'We Care' to Kids Needing Comfort

May 18, 2008

Diane Last began the Milwaukee chapter of Hugs Across America and is collecting teddy bears to give to abused children.

When Diane Last read about a devoted grandmother’s efforts to make sense of her granddaughter’s tragic death, the Fox Point mother of two had to take action. "I couldn’t turn my head after reading Kelsey’s heartbreaking story of child abuse," says Last, referring to the highly publicized case of Kelsey Briggs, a 2-year-old girl from Oklahoma who suffered physical abuse at the hands of her legal caregivers, her stepfather and mother. The two were convicted in Kelsey’s 2005 death and are serving 29- and 30-year jail sentences.

"I was appalled to learn that when Kelsey’s paternal grandmother Kathie Briggs tried to get help for Kelsey, whose broken bones and bruises were well-documented, she had no rights because she wasn’t the legal guardian," says Last, also a nursing student and patient-care technician at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital. "I was moved to focus my nursing studies on helping abused children," she says, "and to increase awareness of child abuse in the Milwaukee area."

Last started the Milwaukee chapter of Hugs Across America, the national organization with which Kathie Briggs partnered when she founded Kelsey’s Purpose. It’s a joint effort to provide comfort to young victims of abuse through the hugs of teddy bears and messages of hope.

"The National Hugs Across America began after 9/11, when founder Sue Lucarelli, a schoolteacher, was comforting schoolchildren affected by this tragedy," says Last. "When she asked a child how she could help, the child replied, ‘I just know I need a hug.’ Sue gave the hug, passed a teddy bear around the classroom that day, and brought teddy bears for every child the next day, which was enormously comforting."

Last’s work in Milwaukee is voluntary — and straight from the heart. "We’re working with EMTs, the Red Cross, social and foster-care workers, hospitals and inner-city schools to get teddy bears to children in crisis situations — whether it’s abuse, a fire, terminal illness, or violence," she says. "It’s so sad — for many of these kids, violence is just a way of life. Teddy bears are just universally huggable."

According to Last, 60 to 75 percent of child abuse cases occur at the hands of family members or caregivers — those, she says, who should be giving the most care and protection.

Last’s 9-year-old son has begun his own grassroots effort. He wrote to Kelsey’s grandmother, sent her a bear and is currently collecting teddy bears from his own classmates.

"If I could, I would take these kids home and love them like they want to be loved," Last says. "This is my way of letting them know there are good people out there who care."

Drop-off sites for teddy bear donations include: Flux Design, 811 E. Vienna; Milwaukee Fire Department Administration Building, 711 W. Wells St.; Water Buffalo Restaurant, 249 N. Water St.; and America’s Best Contacts and Eye Glasses, 5497 S. 76th St. For more information, contact Last at KelseysHugsMilwaukee@yahoo.com.