10-year-old Donates Stuffed Animals To Bossier Parish Deputies
A little girl with a big heart is spreading love in Bossier Parish with her Geaux Show Love initiative. Ten-year-old Julianna Gouthiere donated 150 stuffed animals to the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office so patrol deputies can give them to children coping with traumatic events. She says she got the idea when her mom told her about an accident she’d been in more than 25 years ago.
“They were on a motorcycle, but at the scene of the accident a firefighter gave her a stuffed animal, and when she told me the story, I told her that I wanted to do that,” Julianna said.
Julianna has been collecting stuffed animals for her “Bear Share” for the past 4 years, and she's donated over 12,000 in more than 6 states. Lt. Bill Davis with the Sheriff’s Office says she’s donated to organizations like fire stations and hospitals, but in this case she wanted to give to law enforcement.
“We make calls where children are in distressful situations. Maybe it’s been a sexual assault, maybe it’s a fire, maybe it’s a traffic accident, and so we then can take those stuffed animals and be a blessing to those children,” Davis said.
Davis says when you get this kind of community support, it really uplifts your spirit. That’s why Sheriff Julian Whittington offered the Viking Drive Substation as a drop off location for new and slightly used stuffed animals. Davis says Julianna is the epitome of the generosity in the community.
“Most kids are thinking about things they can do for themselves. She’s going beyond that and doing what she can for others, and we think that’s pretty awesome,” Davis said.
To learn more about Julianna’s Bear Share visit her website at GeauxShowLove.org.