Scentsy buddies will be used by officers to comfort children in times of hardship
News of dire events is unwanted. It is even worse when children are involved in some way. That is why Peg Wilson, a Mantua resident and independent consultant for Scentsy, introduced a fundraiser into the community in 2017 called Buddies for Blue. She is starting it up again this year, as Buddies for Blue 2018.
Scentsy is a home fragrance company that produces many items, including the Scentsy Buddies.
This fundraiser goal is to equip Mantua police officers with Scentsty Buddies, or stuffed animals, to give to children during unfortunate events in which the child is somehow affected, situations such as car accidents, fires and domestic abuse instances.
The buddies, like Beanie Babies, are small animals a child might find comforting; the goal is to soften the blow of a traumatic event. Each buddy contains a zipper compartment in which a scent packet is placed, an item to further assist the child to deal with a troubling situation.
“These buddies can open the window of conversation between the child and police officer when a child might be frightened or intimidated,” Wilson said.
The idea for the fundraiser came to her from a fellow consultant in West Deptford who began this project with the police department there.
“I just thought it was a great idea. Our police department does a whole lot for us. This is the least I could do,” Wilson said.
Darren White, Mantua Chief of Police, said, “We use stuffed animals to help quell the excitement when young children are involved in stressful situations. The fact that Peg understands this and desires to help is great. The calming effect that something as familiar as a simple stuffed animal, especially one that smells great like the buddies, is profound…The more we can distract them from what is occurring around them the better off they will be (and we will also feel better). There is nothing worse than dealing with a young child who is very upset with no grasp on why stressful things are happening all around them, so bringing back a little familiarity helps to alleviate this.”
Wilson hopes to supply the Mantua Police Department with 50 buddies. With every $25 collected, a buddy can be purchased. She will also be donating all commissionable sales to the effort.
“You can put a nametag on your buddies identifying you or your business as the sponsor and provide a document to be used for your tax deductible donation,” Wilson said.
The fundraiser will end soon. Wilson can be reached at wilsx4@gmail.com
