Teddy Bear Luncheon
The Heritage League of Lincoln presented 75 teddy bears to the Child Advocacy Center in December.
The bears were collected at the club's annual Teddy Bear Luncheon held at The Landing on Dec. 17. Admission to the luncheon was at least one teddy bear.
The teddy bears will be given to child victims of physical abuse and/or sexual abuse or children who have witnessed a crime. Each child's siblings will also be offered a teddy bear. The teddy bears give comfort to the children during the interview process.
The Child Advocacy Center provides a safe, child-friendly place for multi-disciplinary interviews and medical evaluations of children. It is expected that over 1,000 children will be seen at the center in 2014. The number has steadily increased since the center opened in 2000, when 240 children seen in the center’s first year. Officials attribute part of the increase to better reporting.
Nebraska law requires anyone suspecting child abuse to report it to law enforcement. Among the children seen, 79% allege sexual abuse, 99% know their abuser, 74% are under the age of 12, and 66% of the time the abuser is a family member.
The Heritage League is a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, the oldest and largest women's volunteer organization in America.
January 10, 2014 8:35 am
Neighborhood Extra