Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

U.M.C. ladies provide comforting kits for trauma victims

The United Methodist Women of Gurdons First U.M.C. have set out on a mission to comfort children who may have to spend some uncomfortable time with police.

The group donated 12 trauma kits to the Gurdon Police Department for children whom authorities may need to shelter from situations like domestic violence, death in the family or house fires.

Six kits were presented for boys, and six kits were presented for girls. The boys kits include a coloring book, crayons, a book, a stuffed animal and a toy tractor. The girls kits include a coloring book, crayons, a book, a stuffed animal and a doll. The kits are geared to comfort younger children, up to about the age of eight.

The United Methodist Women is a worldwide organization, and among their goals as a mission is to reach out to children. One of the women suggested the trauma kits as a means of reaching out to children on a local level. After putting the kits together, the women turned them over to police to use at their own discretion.

Hopefully these boxes will serve as a comfort to these children and a sign that somebody loves them, a United Methodist spokesman said, as well as being a good public relations vehicle for the police department so they can be seen as the good guys instead of the bad guys.

The group intends to supply more kits, and hopes the police department will provide feedback as the kits are used.

As far as good deeds are concerned, the group isnt looking for a pat on the back.

Its just women at work in the church, the spokesman said.