Winnipeg, MB - The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is partnering with school-aged cousins Madison Vanderhooft and Cameron Houle to bring stuffed animals to kids in crisis.
Madison and Cameron have donated 140 freshly-cleaned, new and gently-used stuffed animals, collected through a new school-based initiative called “Cuddles 4 Kids,” to the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service to be handed out to children in crisis.
“Thanks to the efforts of Madison and Cameron, these stuffed animals will bring comfort to young children experiencing a family health emergency,” said Mayor Sam Katz. “The City of Winnipeg thanks both of these young people for showing such generosity of spirit and for reaching out to family and school friends to collect stuffed animals to help make others feel better.”
In November of 2013, 10-year-old Madison Vanderhooft and her mom, Alex, approached the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service to help them bring “cuddles” (stuffed animals) to children who are being transported by ambulance or witnessing a loved one as they are taken to hospital.
“I was reading an article in a magazine about a girl who donated her own stuffed animals to the local fire station,” said Madison Vanderhooft, a fifth grade student at Grosvenor Elementary School. “I was inspired to do something. I thought it would be good for the community and the city to pitch in.”
When Madison told her 13-year-old cousin, Cameron Houle, who attends Calvin Christian Collegiate about her idea, he immediately set to work starting the program in his own school, collecting stuffed animals through November.
“The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is proud to have children like Madison and Cameron as a part of our community,” said Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service Chief Bill Clark. “Unfortunately, we deal with emergencies every day, but when children like Madison and Cameron think of others in times of crisis; it’s special to be a part of. We know these stuffed animals will comfort many children in difficult situations.”
The stuffed animals will ride along in city ambulances and be handed out by emergency personnel to children in emergency situations.