Patrolman collects stuffed animals from area schools.
By: Lea Kahn
It started with a few stuffed animals. But when the Lawrence Intermediate School completed its mission, there were more than plush dolls awaiting Patrolman David Burns of the Lawrence Township Police Department.
The stuffed animals, which were turned over to Patrolman Burns by the students last week, are destined to make their way into the trunk of the Police Department’s patrol cars and ultimately into the arms of young children who need a furry pal.
The stuffed animal drive was triggered by a similar effort by the MOMS Club of Lawrenceville East last summer, said Patrolman Burns. He is the school resource officer and works with students at LIS and the Lawrence Middle School.
At LIS, Dawn van den Heuvel’s 5th-grade class read a newspaper article about the stuffed animal drive and decided to hold a similar collection effort. Patrolman Burns was invited to speak to the class about the so-called "fuzzy friends" program in November. His presentation was videotaped and then broadcast throughout LIS.
Patrolman Burns told Ms. van den Heuvel’s students that the stuffed animals are handed out to young children who are present when their families are involved in an emergency situation, such as an automobile accident.
"I told the students why we use the stuffed animals and how the stuffed animal can make a child feel better," he said. "A new stuffed animal can become the child’s friend."
Ms. van den Heuvel’s class collected about two dozen stuffed animals, Patrolman Burns said. But soon, that number grew to 400 and the police officer was called on to transport the stuffed animals to the Police Department.
"There were seven or eight boxes and three or four garbage bags full of stuffed animals," the officer said, adding that he was "surrounded" by the plush dolls in the patrol car. There was barely enough room for him to sit, he added with a laugh.
The stuffed animal drive is an on-going project at LIS, Patrolman Burns said. He said he will pick up additional stuffed animals when the next batch is ready.

