MEDINA, Ohio -- The whole school could “bearly” contain the excitement.
Medina County Juvenile and Probate Court Judge Kevin Dunn and members of his staff visited the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ Windfall School Tuesday (Dec. 10) to deliver Build-A-Bear stuffed animals to students.
Excited cries echoed through the halls as the preschoolers opened boxes to reveal boy and girl bears dressed in sports, career and holiday-themed outfits.
The program began in 2007, when former Juvenile and Probate Court Judge John Lohn directed youth with court-ordered community service to build bears for the students with development disabilities. Dunn has continued the program.
Medina County Juvenile and Probate Court Judge Kevin Dunn is a big teddy bear himself. (Mary Jane Brewer, special to cleveland.com)
This year, five youth and members of the court staff built 70 bears for students at the school, Jobs and Family Services clients, and the guardian program. To go along with the bears, the youth designed and created Christmas cards to give to the children.
The bears cost $3,500, raised from programs such as “casual Friday” donations.
Dunn commented on how hard the teachers work at Windfall School. His goal with the bear program is to “lighten their day.”
He went on to say: “I have a cool job. We do cool things.”
He stopped in each classroom to play with the children as they opened and cuddled their bears.
The children were especially fascinated by the bears’ shoes. Preschooler Maizy held her bear and immediately removed the bear’s clear, plastic high-heeled shoes, reminiscent of Cinderella’s glass slippers. She then struggled to put the shoes back on and grinned in triumph when she succeeded.
Brooks, a student in another class, untied his bear’s boot laces and dangled the bear in the air.
MCBDD Superintendent Stacey Maleckar and Director Dr. Kaye Stanley-Bryson accompanied the court employees and staff members from the school as the judge moved from room to room to hand out bears.
It was difficult to determine who enjoyed the morning’s activities the most -- the children or the adults.
Read more from the Medina Sun.