Members of Quota International of Cambridge recently visited Dorchester General Hospital to deliver a boxful of teddy bears. As part of their community service campaign called “Cops and Kids and Firemen, too,” the club donated stuffed bears to the nursing staff at the Dorchester General Hospital Emergency Department and to Dorchester County and Cambridge Emergency Medical Services.

According to Quota International Treasurer Karol Redline, the organization’s mission is to support disadvantaged women and children as well as the hearing impaired. She says, “We came up with the idea to give away teddy bears as a way to provide comfort to children in what can be stressful situations.”

Redline, who is also Manager of Laboratory Services for Dorchester General Hospital, adds, “We chose to give the bears to the hospital emergency department and to local police and emergency medical services personnel so they can give them to children who may be scared in an emergency situation.”

At Dorchester General Hospital, the Auxiliary volunteers who serve as patient advocates in the Emergency Department can offer a bear to a child in the waiting room. The nursing staff will keep a supply handy to calm a child who comes to the hospital for emergency treatment. Cathy Weber, BSN, RN, Manager of Emergency Services for Dorchester General Hospital, says, “We are grateful for this gift from Quota International of Cambridge. These cute bears, which are just the right size for our pediatric patients, can make a big difference as we work to create a more comforting environment for the children who come to our Emergency Department.”