By Pierrette J. Shields Longmont Times-Call Longmont Times-Call
Posted: TimesCall.com
LONGMONT — Charlie Staver gave each of 26 stuffed animals a hug before sending them on their way with a new mission, to comfort children who report suffering abuse at the hands of adults.
The 7-year-old Longmont Estates Elementary School second-grader delivered her collection of stuffed bears, bunnies, cats, monkeys and even a giraffe to the Longmont Police Department on Wednesday afternoon. The police, in turn, promised to take them to Blue Sky Bridge in Boulder. The organization conducts forensic interviews of children who report suffering sexual abuse.
“Let’s see what we have got,” said Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur, who unpacked three bags of toys Charlie donated and asked about them. “I have one just like this one, you know,” he said, holding a pink bear.
“Is that the one that smells just like strawberries?” Charlie’s dad, Jason Staver, asked.
Grandmother Judy Coffy said her granddaughter called out of the blue and asked her for help to find a place to donate the toys. The second-grader told her family she wanted to donate them after she saw them collapse out of a storage net in her room a couple of weeks ago.
“I just thought it of it then,” she said.
The family dropped by the police department to make the delivery. When they heard about another girl who made her final charitable donation of stuffed animals to the OUR Center earlier in the day on Wednesday, they agreed Charlie may just be up to the task of taking over the project. After all, her predecessor started her project at age 7, as well.
Pierrette J. Shields can be reached at 303-684-5273 or pshields@times-call.com.