Nassau Court Officers Hold 7th Annual Teddy Bear Drive

Walking into the main hall of the  building in Mineola, row upon row of glass-beaded eyes stare at you from a table across from the jury pool room. They are not the solemn stares of those called for jury duty, but they are called to serve a greater good by bringing a little bit of joy into the lives of children each Christmas. For each of the past seven years, the Fraternal Order of Court Officers (FOCO) of New York State has held a  for needy and sick children, 5,100 by FOCO President Sgt. Joe Cannella's estimates.

The idea for the teddy bear drive first came about when Cannella was driving the families of Court officers who had fallen during the 9/11 attacks into Manhattan for a memorial ceremony. The commander, Nancy Puglise, had organized a teddy bear drive where the ceremony was being held. When Puglise transferred to the Nassau Court system, "I kinda tested her to run a teddy bear drive in Nassau County," Cannella said.

The first year the drive was held, a display was only placed in Supreme Court, but has since expanded to each of the five court buildings. Cannella recalls that first year Kristin Smith, a student at Our Lady of Lourdes in Malverne, initiated a school teddy bear drive to help. "She almost doubled what our collection was, and over the years we've gathered other schools," Cannella said. Also chipping in for the past three years have been cheerleaders from Locust Valley, who arrived at the courthouse in two buses with each cheerleader carrying a bear to donate.

For the past four years the order also hands out special pins in the shape of bears with officer badges for those who donate two or more bears. "That comes from our funds, we donate that money to stimulate the collection," Cannella said. The Order holds a holiday raffle to raise funds as well.

On Thursday officers left to distribute the bears to children Franklin General Hospital, , the Ronald McDonald House, Schneider/ Cohn's Children's Hospital,  Pediatric Oncology Ward and the Interfaith Nutrition Network. The INN is the biggest recipient of the bears, receiving between 900 and 1,000 bears last year. "They really have a tremendous need," Cannella said.

About three years ago a girl admitted at Winthrop for testing in the Oncology ward received a bear. "Two years ago she came back and everything worked out well for her," Cannella said, "but she wanted to return the favor so the last few years she's helped us with our teddy bear drive and I believe she used her bat mitzvah money to buy 100 teddy bears. "It's a thing that builds and builds."

New members from the Order in Queens have also initiated a drive in the Queens courts as well as in Suffolk with the Little Flower Orphan drive. Old Navy was recently named the drive's first corporate sponsor. "It's really spreading for what started out as a (little) teddy bear drive the first year," Cannella said.

The Order will typically assign two officers from each command to distribute the bears to the children. "They get a rewarding experience and see the fruits of their labor," Cannella said. "When you go to the hospitals, every year we try to bring new officers to bring the teddy bears to the children to get the effect and I tell you none of them leave without crying usually the first time that they go around and they see kids in different situations and it makes you count your blessings."

Court officers will also donate bears and toys to soup kitchens, letting lines of families in the street pick one item to take home to their children. "In good times they're not economically well off," Cannella said. "You go home to your family you realize how good you have it. (Some) complain about what we don't have, when you see other people who are just getting by it kinda sets the tone for your holiday season."